Expect White Supremacy. "Special" prosecutor considers felony charges against white Officers who Crushed Derek Williams and then Watched him Die in their cruiser - on Video. He suffocated to death while handcuffed, naked from a strip search, begging for their help for 15 minutes from the time of his arrest as he went limp and then after officers dragged him and placed him in their cruiser. His death is captured on video which was released in September 2012. (graphic video above, no sound for first minute). [MORE]
From [HERE] and [HERE] A special prosecutor is considering felony charges in connection with the death of a Black man while in Milwaukee police custody of white officers. That's according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/10aEx4A ), which obtained documents filed Friday in Milwaukee courts.
The special prosecutor, John Franke, (in photo - a former Milwaukee County Circuit Judge) plans to ask jurors to consider charges of first- and second-degree reckless homicide and failure to render aid by law enforcement after he presents five days' worth of witnesses during an inquest into Williams' death, scheduled to begin Feb. 11.
Those witnesses will include independent medical experts who will likely discuss a cracked bone in Williams' neck and sickle cell crisis, a controversial condition Assistant Medical Examiner Christopher Poulos blamed for Williams' death. But in more than 25 years, no Milwaukee County inquest jury has recommended criminal charges against a police officer involved in a fatal shooting or in-custody death, a Journal Sentinel investigation found.
Williams, who had gotten out of jail earlier in the day after being arrested on municipal warrants for loitering, vandalism and assault, fled from police after an alleged attempted robbery. He was sweating profusely when police found him hiding behind an overturned card table. Officer Richard M. Ticcioni dragged him out. Ticcioni said he believed rookie Officer Patrick Coe helped him. Ticcioni "ended up on top of Williams with the suspect facing down," according to the report of Milwaukee police Detective Luke O'Day, who interviewed Ticcioni.
The officer subdued him by pressing a knee into his back while he was handcuffed. "As soon as he released pressure, Williams began squirming, as if trying to break free, and reached around his right side to his right waistband (while still in handcuffs)," according to the report. Ticcioni "worried" that Williams was trying to grab a gun and "reapplied pressure with his right knee to prevent any further movement from the suspect," the report says. Officers then searched Williams. No gun was found.
They got him to his feet, and "Williams immediately went limp," the report says. He appears to weigh about 150 lbs.
"He felt Williams was playing games and directed him to stop messing around," the report says.
A few minutes later, as officers Ticcioni and Coe were helping Williams walk toward the car, Coe left Williams' side to move a "for sale" sign that was blocking the sidewalk. When he did, Williams "pulled forward and fell face forward into the grass," the report says. Ticcioni observed that "he was breathing hard."
Ticcioni believed Williams was dragging his feet to make it difficult for the officers to get him to the waiting squad car, the report says.
Once locked in the back seat, Williams continued to say he could not breathe and asked officers to call him an ambulance, according to the squad video and a summary of the internal investigation. Officers Jeffrey Cline and Jason Bleichwehl, who can be heard talking on the recording, told internal investigators they did not hear Williams ask for an ambulance, the summary says. [MORE]
The graphic video shows a handcuffed Williams, his eyes rolled back, gasping for breath and begging for help in the back seat of a Milwaukee police car as officers ignore his pleas. Williams repeatedly begged and told officers he couldn't breathe for at least 15 minutes between the time of his arrest and his death. Officers ignored him and believed him to be acting. Officers told internal investigators they did not hear him ask for help. An obvious incorrect statement. As two officers - Jeffrey Cline, who told Williams, "You're just playing games" before Williams lost consciousness in the back of a squad car; and Gregory Kuspa - were in the squad car at various times during the arrest of Williams. He is pleas are clearly audible on the video as he is doubled over and writhing around. [MORE]
The homicide charges are felonies. First-degree reckless homicide carries a maximum possible penalty of 40 years in prison. Second-degree reckless homicide carries a maximum prison term of 15 years. The charge of failure to render aid is a misdemeanor with a possible penalty of nine months in jail.
Paperwork filed by Franke does not say which officers involved in Williams' arrest might face charges. Two officers - Jeffrey Cline, who told Williams, "You're just playing games" before Williams lost consciousness in the back of a squad car; and Gregory Kuspa - were in the squad car at various times during the arrest of Williams.
A felony conviction requires a police officer to be removed from the force. A misdemeanor conviction related to on-the-job conduct also may be cause for firing.