Judge says Shooting by Morgan County Sheriffs is Justified: Black Man Caught Selling Beer Shot 13 Times & Refused Medical Treatment

• 63 Year Old White wife called 'nigger lover' by Police and Dragged on the Ground 

A federal lawsuit that alleged Morgan County sheriff's deputies and other authorities used excessive force when they shot and killed suspected bootlegger James Hulett, 53 and abused his 63-year-old wife by forcing her to crawl on her belly while uttering a racial slur about her was dismissed by a federal judge today.  June Hulett, who is white, sought releif from a June 30, 2002 raid that killed her husband, who was black.  A forensic report stated that Hulett's body had 13 bullet holes. The Judge held that the suspect fired first after agents identified themselves. The judge began his written order by noting that June Hulett and her lawyer had presented no evidence beyond that provided by the defendants.  The case began with a recitation of James Hulett's criminal record. Normally such information would be inadmissable, but the defendants claimed that their knowledge of Hulett's record contributed to the amount of force they used during the raid. June Hulett said her husband fired at the officers because a year before, robbers had raided the home. Police records confirmed that fact. The law enforcement officers were not wearing uniforms. Three of 10 officers who were present, including England, entered the house through the front door, and three more came in through the side door. The judge said several entered while yelling "Police!", contradicting claims by June Hulett that the officers didn't identify themselves. The claim asserted that the pistol was fired after her husband had been shot several times and while he lay dying on the floor. Witnesses said the officers kept Hulett handcuffed and would not remove the cuffs for paramedics to properly treat him after he had been shot multiple times. A paramedic report stated that law enforcement officers refused to remove the handcuffs.  The court did not address this issue. Nor did the order mention race. In addition to Hulett's shooting, the lawsuit claimed that the officers abused his wife.  "They instructed Mrs. Hulett, who was sitting on the porch, to get down on her hands and knees but she was experiencing difficulties due to infirmities caused by her age of 63. One of the officers then called her a 'nigger-lover' and instructed her to get all the way down and to crawl on her belly," the lawsuit states.  "As she was crawling toward the steps, one of the officers grabbed her and dragged her down the steps onto the graveled yard. They handcuffed her and placed her near the van."   The Judge's order also did not address the alleged abuse. During the trial she said had no memory of what happened.  [more] and [more]