3 Bridgeport Police Officers cleared in fatal shooting of Black Man

Three city police officers were cleared Monday of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a city man in an East Side apartment building last September. Following a lengthy investigation, State's Attorney Jonathan Benedict concluded that the three officers were justified in using deadly force in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Jonathan Mosely on Sept. 28. Mosely, the investigation found, was hit by seven shots fired by three officers. "The officers were confronted by a man who was about to swing a baseball bat at the head of one of their group. Such conduct clearly is capable of inflicting a fatal injury. Moreover, Mr. Mosely gave the officers no opportunity to safely withdraw, nor would that have been permissible given the ongoing threat to the occupants of apartment 105," the area's top prosecutor wrote in a six-page decision. Mosely, a resident of French Street, was shot to death by Officers Jason Amato, Damien Czech and Sean Lynch after they confronted him standing outside his former girlfriend's door on Central Avenue with a baseball bat in his hands. The shooting sparked controversy in the city's minority community, prompting state Sen. Ernest Newton, a relative of Mosely, to say he was concerned that some might retaliate against police. [more]

Three Louisville jail officers arrested in Racial Beating of Handcuffed Black Man

Three Louisville Metro Corrections officers were arrested yesterday, accused of beating a handcuffed inmate. Sgt. Robert Arnold, 41, and Officers Joshua Spenton, 30, and Scott DeJarnette, 28, also were suspended without pay after an investigation by the Louisville Metro Police Public Integrity Unit, said Pam Windsor, Corrections spokeswoman. The three are charged with fourth-degree assault and official misconduct, both criminal misdemeanors, Windsor said. They were released without bail last night, she said. The charges stem from the Jan. 16 beating of Adrian Garner at the jail, according to the arrest warrants. The warrants said the three white officers used racial slurs and threats against Garner, an African American. According to the arrest warrants, the corrections officers are accused of beating Garner, 32, while they were escorting him from a cell to another part of the jail. Garner had asked to go to the medical ward to seek someone in mental health, according to the arrest warrants, but it was unclear if that was why officers removed him from the cell. "After placing (Garner) in handcuffs, (DeJarnette) removed (Garner) from his cell and forced (Garner) to walk bent over, with his arms behind him and above his head," the warrant against DeJarnette said. In warrants issued against all three, it is alleged that, when Garner got to Door 7 in the jail, the officers tried to pull him to the ground, then jumped on him to get him on the ground. The officers "dived on top of (Garner), striking (Garner) with their knees," one of the warrants said. The warrants say the blows -- from fists and elbows, along with kicks -- continued for four to five minutes.  [more] and [more]

Lafayette Police Officers Go OFF: Brutal beat Down of Latino Restaraunt Owner

Last Friday night, a group of cops beat up Guamas restaurant owner Rubens Mesa, smashing his head into a light pole and repeatedly kicking and hitting him. An eyewitness who is a security Guard, Regina Baker said, “I’ve never seen someone get beat like that, ever. He just didn’t deserve that.” Sgt. Dwayne Prejean and officer Michael Boutte were reportedly following recent department directions to enforce an old state law for “obstructing public passages” that forbids some downtown bars and restaurants from serving patrons at tables on the sidewalk outside their building. After Guamas’ management resisted moving its tables inside, one customer, Tyler Guilbeau, made a remark that the police had nothing better to do than harass businesses about their al fresco tables. Guilbeau was arrested for disturbing the peace. After the owner of the restaraunt's wife complained about the arrest the police arrested her also. At this point, owner Rubens Mesa turned and questioned the police. A witness said, “Mr. Mesa’s standing right there, and he turns around and says, ‘What’s going on?’” He’s standing there and then four cops rush him, and they throw him up against the lamppost right there, and they’re holding him.” One of the officers pushed Mesa by his chin and slammed the back of his head against the tall green lamppost on the corner of Jefferson and Vine streets and then forced him to the ground. At this point, backup police officers arrived. At least five police officers converged on Mesa, a 35-year-old Cuban immigrant of medium build. Baker says the police pinned Mesa face down on the ground and began beating him while his wife, in handcuffs and on her knees, looked on screaming, “You see this! You see this!” [more]

FBI investigates Chicago Police Shooting of Railroad Officer: Black Man Shot 25 Times - still alive

The FBI has been called in to look into a shootout between Chicago police and an off-duty railroad officer back in February. Howard Morgan was shot 25 times. Police say he pulled a gun on officers and is now charged with attempted murder. There were people who saw Howard Morgan's bullet-riddled body two months ago who did not think he would live long enough to wage a court battle for his innocence. But Morgan has survived a hail of Chicago police bullets. Now, he is demanding his right to bail, even though he is physically unable to appear in court. Morgan, a 54-year-old railroad cop is recovering from as many as 25 bullet wounds inflicted by Chicago police eight weeks ago. Morgan is charged with four counts of attempted murder and is being held without bail, shackled to his bed at Cook County's Oak Forest Hospital. His wife wants a bail amount set so she can pay it and transfer Morgan to a better hospital. "He has medical insurance -- the best medical insurance -- and he would be able to go to another facility," said Rosalind Morgan, suspect's wife. On February 21, Morgan -- a retired Chicago officer -- was stopped for a traffic violation by four uniformed city cops. Police investigators claim Morgan pulled a gun and began shooting before the officers returned fire. One city officer was hit in his bullet-proof vest and two others suffered graze wounds. "It's a question of police officers shooting police officers. The issue is not whether or not police officers shot police officers, but why?" said Leo Holt, defense attorney. In court Wednesday, Judge Kathleen Pantle denied Holt's motion to set bail, saying to do so without Morgan in court would violate the defendant's constitutional rights.  [more]

Feds Clear Kalamazoo Police Officer in Fatal Shooting of Black Man

Federal authorities say they did not find evidence of civil rights abuses in last fall's fatal shooting of a black man by a white Kalamazoo police sergeant. Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Dan Weston said he received a letter Monday from the U.S. Department of Justice clearing Sgt. Stacey Geik of criminal wrongdoing in the Sept. 30 shooting death of John Gill. "We have concluded that the evidence does not establish a prosecutable violation of the federal criminal civil rights statutes," a letter from Albert Moskowitz, chief of the criminal section of the Department of Justice's civil rights division, said of its review of the shooting. Prior investigations by the Department of Public Safety, City Attorney's Office and Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office found Geik, who was investigating a suspected arson at Gill's apartment, was justified in shooting Gill when Gill refused Geik's repeated orders to stop as Gill walked toward the officer and raised a cocked and loaded handgun. Gill's widow has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the city alleging the shooting was unjustified, an excessive use of force and an abuse of power. The Rev. Jerry McNeely, president of the Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has criticized investigations of the shooting and said a coroner's report suggests to him that Gill was shot in the back. [more] and [more]

• Fatal Shooting Results in $50 million lawsuit. [more]
• Kalamazoo NAACP president asks for further investigation into deadly shooting [more]
• Man shot by officer recalled as brave, loving role model [more]
  
  

Venezuelan man claims US police officer beat him after issuing ethnic slurs

An island man’s lawsuit claims a police officer beat him after issuing ethnic slurs. After a 2003 encounter with police officers, Emmanuel “Alex” Watson faces two criminal charges stemming from the altercation, but his lawyer told The Daily News later that year that he was the assault victim. Police were at the Residence at West Beach apartments, in the 3200 block of 69th Street on March 30, 2003, investigating a resident’s complaint about men shooting a BB gun at exterior lights at the complex. The lawsuit claims Watson was leaving with his daughter, 5, and two other men when he saw a uniformed man standing by what the suit describes as a “fishing spot” on the property, talking to another officer. When Watson asked the men what the best type of bait for the pond was, the suit claims, the uniformed officer used profanity and an ethnic slur against him. The police report stated that Watson ... a native of Venezuela ... was only asked his name. At first, Watson gave only his last name, and after a brief verbal exchange, his lawsuit claims, the officer grabbed him by the throat, slung him to the ground and began beating him. The lawsuit claims the other officer held Watson’s two companions back while the assault occurred. [more] and [more]

Pinellas County Deputies who Killed Larry Germonprez Suspended for ONLY 3 Days

Two years after a Zephyrhills man was killed in the Pinellas County Jail, two deputies and a sergeant face suspensions in connection with the man's death. After hearing the findings of an administrative review board, Sheriff Jim Coats ruled Friday that Deputies William Johnson and Walter Kelly each should be suspended for three days without pay for not monitoring inmate Larry Germonprez as they restrained him. They also should receive remedial training on the use of force, the sheriff said. "A three-day suspension within our organization is not minimal," said Coats' chief deputy, Dennis Fowler.  Sgt. Sheila Christian, who supervised the deputies but didn't restrain Germonprez, faces a 10-day suspension and a year of supervisory probation. She should have called for a specially trained team to restrain Germonprez because he had earlier resisted other deputies, the sheriff's review board found. On  March 11, 2003 three deputies forced Germonprez, 41 into the cell and pinned him face down on a padded cot until he stopped resisting. Minutes later, Germonprez - a college graduate and father of six - died, his ribs broken in 17 places, the air crushed out of him.. Germonprez had been arrested after a car accident and charged with leaving the scene of a crash, drunken driving, driving with a suspended license and possession of marijuana. His family was angered Friday after learning of the suspensions. Pugh, her two children and Germonprez's four children by other women filed a $10-million wrongful death lawsuit last month. "Deputies killed him and his children deserve better than these suspensions," she said [more] and [more]

LAPD Chief Orders Smaller Flashlights - Still NO Justice for Stanley Miller Beating

• but LA Police Officers still have Guns, Batons, Fists, Feet and Racist Minds
  

Los Angeles' police chief said he would direct officers to switch to smaller and lighter flashlights after a divided Police Commission on Tuesday deferred the politically charged decision to him. Chief William J. Bratton said the catalyst for the change was the case of car-theft suspect Stanley Miller, who was repeatedly struck with an oversized 2-pound metal flashlight by a Los Angeles Police Department officer during a televised incident 10 months ago. Bratton said the new flashlights would be 10 inches long or shorter, would weigh less than 12 ounces and, unless shorter than 6.9 inches, must be made of rubber or polymer. More than 250 recruits in training will receive smaller flashlights in the coming weeks, he said. Some officers may already have their own flashlights that meet the new specifications. [more]

• Pictured above: Stanley Miller shortly after his beat down by LAPD Officers using flashlights last July. The brutal beating was partially captured on videotape. No officers were ever punished. Miller claims to have brain damage. A Civil suit is pending
  

Sheriff's Department sued - Agency denies using excessive force in home search of Latino Family

A Riverside man has accused the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department of excessive force, including pointing guns at children, while serving a search warrant at the man's house in March. "They came into my house ... for no reason,' Oscar Chavez said Thursday. "They screamed and pointed guns at the children, my family.' San Bernardino Sheriff Gary Penrod called the accusations "bizarre.' The search warrant was conducted in a professional manner, Penrod said. "When we do a search warrant, the officers go in armed with their guns out,' he said. "I didn't get involved in it that much, but from everything I've heard, everything was above board.' Chavez's lawyer, Mark Blankenship of Riverside, filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff's Department, Yucaipa businessman James W. Braswell and Deputy Sheriff Harry Hatch in U.S. District Court on Monday. Deputies, including Hatch, searched Chavez's house in Riverside and two businesses in San Bernardino County on March 31 in an attempt to find information about four cars the Department of Motor Vehicles said are missing. "They came in, they broke things. The children are sick because of it,' Chavez said. Chavez and his brother Armando operated the Rancho Los Amigos auto dealership on Valley Boulevard in Bloomington for Braswell, who owns the dealership, the search warrant said. Braswell notified the DMV that the auto dealership was missing four reports of sales and said Oscar and Armando Chavez embezzled up to $800,000 in cash and vehicles from him.Steven Figueroa, president of the Mexican-American Political Association, filed another complaint against the Sheriff's Department on Chavez's behalf with the U.S. Attorney's Office. It includes 18 pages of the children's handwritten descriptions of the morning of March 29. Five-year-old Stephanie Banuelos, visiting the United States from Mexico, described how the "policias' woke her up and made her stand in the street in her pajamas. "I was very cold and afraid,' she wrote in Spanish, the only language she speaks. She said she was forced to go to the bathroom with the door open and was prohibited from speaking Spanish. [more]

Three Eunice officers cleared of beating allegations, chief says

An FBI investigation has cleared three Eunice police officers of claims that they beat a jail inmate in October 2003, police chief Gary Fontenot. Fontenot said he received word Monday that investigators found no evidence to support the allegations brought by Donald Ray Leday, 49. Police records show that Leday was booked with disturbing the peace through intoxication, resisting an officer, battery on an officer and vehicular trespassing. He was held overnight and bonded out the next day. Fontenot said in 2003 that the officers suggested that Leday fell while drunk, injuring himself. George Fisher, president of BlackMan 7, has charged that three officers severely beat Donald Ray Leday.  In October 2003 Fisher met with Eunice Police Chief Gary Fontenot to demand that the officers involved be suspended and that an independent investigation by the Louisiana State Police be conducted.  In an interview before the meeting, Fontenot said he had already called for state police to investigate on his own.  "I don't need to be ordered to do my job by a radical group," Fontenot sai [more] and
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