Parents Demand Arrest of Baltimore County Police Officer for Murder of Black Teen: Unarmed 17 yr Old Choked to Death by Cop

From The Baltimore Sun 6/26/12 and [HERE] The family of Christopher Brown -- the Randallstown teenager who died 2 weeeks ago after an altercation with an off-duty Baltimore County police officer -- is demanding the officer be charged.  "An arrest needs to be made," Brown's mother, Chris, told reporters Monday afternoon.

She said that even though her 17-year-old son was buried over the weekend, "nothing's been done." Brown, whose death has been ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner's office, was asphyxiated during an altercation with Officer James D. Laboard on June 13, police said. No charges have been filed. Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger said in a statement that his office is investigating the death and warned that such investigations can take time.

Brown had been with a group of teens when one threw a rock at Laboard's house, police said. The officer ran outside after them and caught up with Brown after chasing him for several blocks. Brown was hiding in bushes outside a home on Starbrook Road. Brown wore a knee brace. When Brown did not come out, Laboard grabbed him, and the two got into a physical confrontation, police said. The officer then struggled with the teen after pulling him from the bushes and Brown eventually fell unconscious. The officer has been placed on administrative leave. 

“I think he should have been arrested immediately. If it was a civilian, if it was you or I, we would have gone to jail that night,” said the Rev. Dr. Paris Evans, of the National Action Network.

“You still have an officer walking the streets, free. Don't know what frame of mind he's in, so i would say everybody is not safe,” she said. Christopher Brown's mother had also been told a representative from the Baltimore County Police Department would be attending Tuesday’s community meeting at a synagogue in Randallstown about the incident . No one showed up; she called that, "cowardly.”

Shellenberger  said, "I can assure Ms. Brown and all of the citizens of Baltimore County that we will collect the facts impartially and apply the law fairly. Although the death has been ruled a homicide, she said that doesn't necessarily mean a crirme has been committed. Homicide is defined as death at the hands of another, and prosecutors must decide whether it was justified, negligent or murder.

Last Friday, Brown's family hired attorney Russell Neverdon, who said he believed rage may have led to the attack. "This is a situation in which the person was very emotionally charged," Neverdon said, referring to the long pursuit by the officer through his own neighborhood. "To give chase to someone that distance -- to me that's a state of rage and anger. As an adult, at best I may chase you long enough to get a description of you to give to police." Neverdon said the family wants answers but understands an investigation takes time.

"We are at this juncture going to patiently wait and see what Baltimore County's investigation reveals," he said. "We're doing some fact-finding ourselves to see what unfolded."

Brown had just finished his sophomore year at Randallstown High School, where he had been on the wrestling, lacrosse and football teams, as well as in a military officer training program. His mother said he was mischievous but wouldn't do anything that would attract the law or even draw discipline from his teachers.