Grand Jury to Hear Lafayette Police Officer Shooting Case Today: Witness says Black Man had his Hands Up

From [HERE] A grand jury will convene tomorrow at 9:00 A. M. to hear the case of a police officer who is accused of shooting and killed a man during an armed robbery call. The shooting happened last December 9.

Mason, 21, of Carencro was shot to death by a Lafayette police canine officer the evening of Dec. 9 as Mason left his girlfriend's apartment in the Campus Crossings apartment complex on Theater Drive. The shooting happened last December 9. Quamaine Dwayne Mason was shot and killed when leaving his girlfriend's apartment at Campus Crossings on Theatre Drive. According to police, officers noticed Mason was armed and fired several shots at him, killing the 21-year old man.

Mason's girlfriend told news reporters the next day that Mason's hands were up and his gun was not drawn when the police officer shot him multiple times.  As Mason and Babino exited the apartment, they encountered four to five police officers, guns drawn. Babino told news reporters the next day that Mason raised his hands in response. But a canine officer saw a gun on Mason's hip and shot him. Mason died on the walkway near his girlfriend's apartment. [MORE] 

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Austin Sued over Documents Related to Fatal Police Shooting of Black Man

From [HERE] The Texas Civil Rights Project has filed a lawsuit against the City of Austin, claiming it violated state open records laws by not responding to a request for documents related to the fatal shooting of Ahmede Bradley by a police officer in April. According to the suit filed in state District Court in Travis County last week, the nonprofit civil rights group faxed a request to the city under the Texas Public Information Act on April 6, a day after Bradley was shot during what officials say was a struggle with an officer after a traffic stop in East Austin.

The incident began in the 6000 block of Manor Road when Copeland stopped Bradley for playing loud music from his vehicle, police officials have said. During the stop, Copeland smelled what he believed to be marijuana and moved to search the vehicle, officials said.

Bradley then drove off with Copeland in pursuit and later fled on foot near Overbrook Drive, officials said.

The two engaged in a series of struggles, officials said. During the second fight, Bradley tried to choke Copeland with his radio cord, police have said. Copeland then shot Bradley three times in the chest, killing him, officials said. Assistant Police Chief Sean Mannix said Tuesday that the case is under investigation and has not been presented to a grand jury.

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Cicero (IL) Police Accused of Murdering Unarmed Latino Man, Covering Up Shooting

Police Marred Funeral with Searches & Helicopter Surveillance

From [HERE] and [HERE] and [HERE] Cicero police shot a man in the back as he rode a bicycle and let him bleed to death, then planted a gun by him, "threatened to kill" a witness, and intimidated and arrested other witnesses, the dead man's father claims in Federal Court.  G. Cesar Munive, father of the late son Cesar Munive, sued [complaint] the Town of Cicero, its "police Officer Dominick Schullo "and other unknown Cicero police officers for conspiracy, recklessness, excessive force and other charges. Schullo is  the son of former Cicero Police Chief Emil Schullo who was sentenced to nine years in prison for mob-linked corruption schemes during the town’s Betty Loren-Maltese scandal a decade ago.

The suit states: "On Thursday, July 5, 2012, Cesar Munive was riding his bike at the corner of 13th Street and 57th Avenue. A police officer drove at a high rate of speed, and pulled onto the curb and parkway at the corner. He jumped out of his car and without lawful cause or justification shot the unarmed decedent, Cesar Munive, once in the back.

After being shot the decedent screamed in pain and yelled that he had not done anything. The decedent fell down to the grass, bleeding. As Mr. Munive lay on the ground bleeding, the defendant officers forcefully handcuffed him with his hands behind his back and dragged him on the ground and delayed seeking medical attention. As a result of defendant Schullo's unlawful use of force, Munive suffered pain during his last conscious moments. The fatal police shooting was totally unjustified. Mr. Munive never did anything which could have justified the use of deadly force." Munive says his son "bled to death on the scene."

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Long Beach Police Caught on Video Stomping Handcuffed Black Man, Destroying Cameras During Pot Raid

From [HERE] and [HERE] A raid on a marijuana dispensary in Long Beach was caught on video showing police officers smashing surveillance cameras and stepping on a suspect, moves that prompted accusations against the officers of excessive force. A black volunteer at the collective can be seen in the video below with his neck stomped on by one of the officers who raided the facility.

The video was posted to YouTube by user "Long Beach Raids" on July 1. The two-minute-long video opens to show a man surrendering to police, three of whom surround him while two put him in handcuffs. One of the officers is seen stepping on volunteer employee Dorian Brooks' back with both feet before stepping on his neck, with what Brooks described as 300 pounds of pressure.  Brooks, “told NBC Los Angeles that the amount of force used to arrest him was excessive and out-of-proportion considering the crime.” "They noticed there was a camera that was on the wall right above my head, so they proceeded to smash it with a metal rod," said Brooks, adding that the camera shattered on him. "I wasn't able to protect myeslf because my hands were cuffed." "I felt violated; I felt disrespected," Brooks said. 

He filed a claim seeking $1 million in damages from the city of Long Beach. The papers, which were filed July 5th, state that the raid was illegal and allege that the officers involved used excessive force. According to a report by the Huffington Post, employees of the dispensary are claiming $10,000 in damage and destruction of evidence in addition to allegations of police brutality.

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Change.org Petition Demanding Probe of LAPD's Attack on Occupy L.A.

From [HERE] In the wake of Thursday's chaotic Art Walk in Downtown Los Angeles, one Angeleno has launched a Change.org petition asking officials to investigate the Los Angeles Police Department's use of force during the event. Directed at Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, California Governor Jerry Brown and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the human rights petition says the "LAPD used excessive force on the citizens of Los Angeles creating an unsafe environment and violating the civil rights of the citizens they are sworn to protect resulting in a tactical alert being issued for the downtown area" during the monthly Art Walk. Occupy L.A. planned and executed their "Chalk Walk" Thursday night, where activists protested via sidewalk chalk messaging and drawing in various parts of Downtown, including in front of City Hall LAPD Headquarters.

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Miles Case Ringing Bells in Pittsburgh: Undercover Police Unlawfully Stopped and Assaulted Unarmed Black College Student

From [HERE] The case of a black teenager whose federal civil rights trial against three white Pittsburgh police officers begins on Monday has polarized the city like no other incident since a black motorist died in an altercation with white officers in 1995, lawyers and activists say. “I’ve never had more white people discuss a case since the Jonny Gammage case,” said Tim Stevens, chairman and CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project. “It has touched a big nerve.”

Jordan Miles, now 20, claims Officers Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte and David Sisak used excessive force when they arrested him Jan. 12, 2010, on a Homewood street near his home and then filed false charges against him to justify their actions. The officers contend they had probable cause to chase a fleeing Miles — who they thought was armed — and used the appropriate amount of force to subdue him.

The officers said they confronted Mr. Miles because he appeared to be "sneaking around" with a heavy object in his coat that they thought was a concealed weapon. According to Miles, he was walking along Tioga Street to his grandmother’s house, talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone, when a car swerved to a stop in front of him and three men in dark clothes jumped out. The men asked him where his money, drugs and gun were. Thinking he was about to be robbed, he ran a short distance before slipping and falling in the snow. The officers were not wearing uniforms and were an unmarked car. Police apparently also did not activate any sirens or identify themselves.

The officers caught up with him and beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. The officers put him in handcuffs, and repeatedly shoved his face into the snow, causing a piece of wood to impale his gums, Miles has said. He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed. No weapons were found. 

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LA sheriff faces mounting legal challenges

In photo, Gabriel Carrillo after deputies beat him at jail. From [HERE] and [HERE] Jail commanders condoning the beating of inmates. Evidence withheld from inmates accused of attacking guards. A photo of a woman wearing an official-looking badge while brandishing handguns at a nightclub. Allegations and litigation continue to dog Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who has acknowledged being out of touch about problems in his jails and failing to reform his massive department that oversees the largest county jail system in the nation.

Bad news in the past week has come from his own brass, his chief critics and a photo that surfaced in an unrelated federal investigation -- all serving to sully the reputation of the popular four-term sheriff, who enjoys the limelight and is flown around the world at the invitation of others to talk about policing tactics.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a constant critic of the sheriff and a court-appointed monitor of jail conditions, sued Tuesday alleging that inmates charged with assaulting deputies have been unable to get evidence that could help exonerate them.

At the core of the problems facing the department is how its deputies treat some of the estimated 15,000 inmates in county jails. The ACLU has filed another lawsuit accusing Baca and some other department officials of condoning violence against inmates. That sued was filed in January. 

Last year the civil rights group released a report that documented more than 70 cases of alleged abuse and other misconduct by deputies, many of which occurred at Men's Central Jail. The FBI has launched its own investigation and asked for internal department records dealing with inmate abuse.

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Witnesses Contradict Worcester Police in Fatal Shooting: say Puerto Rican Man Posed No Threat to Officer

From [HERE] and [HERE] A 43-year-old Worcester man was shot and killed by a Massachusetts state police trooper after he allegedly drove a stolen vehicle toward the trooper early Thursday morning. Officials say Victor Davilla was shot to death near the intersection of Chandler and Irving Streets shortly after midnight. Police said an officer working the midnight shift from the Holden barracks spotted 1997 Honda Accord that was reported stolen in Worcester. When the officer tried to stop the vehicle, police said the vehicle continued to move toward him. Police said the officer fired one shot at the car, hitting Davilla in the chest. Police are still looking for a woman that jumped out of the car prior to the shooting. They believe they know her identity and have some information about the direction she fled in. She is not believed to be a threat to the public.

“The trooper was standing in front of the suspect vehicle,” State Police spokesperson David Procopio said. “And the evidence indicates that the vehicle definitely was in drive and possibly driving toward him, putting him in fear for his safety.” [MORE] 

However, two other witnesses said they saw the trooper standing in front of the car. They said the driver was trying to back up and drive away. They said the trooper yelled repeatedly for the man to stop and then fired into the vehicle when he did not comply. The men said that once the trooper opened the car door and pulled the man out, the car coasted forward into a small tree. [MORE]

Procopio said the findings of an accident reconstruction team, ballistic evidence, and the fact that Davila later crashed his car into a utility pole confirmed the trooper’s account. (Police message: believe everything we say always. why even bother to investigate or even ever have any trial then?) 

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Houston Police Kill Unarmed Latino Man, Took Witness' Cellphone When She Tried to Record

From [HERE] On July 9, Houston police fatally shot Rufino Lara. Two witnesses (one of whom, a 14-year-old boy, didn't know Lara) are disputing police officers' account of the confrontation. According to the Houston Chronicle:  Houston Police Department officials said Rufino Lara refused officer J. McGowan's commands in Spanish and English to stop when she spotted him walking away while she was investigating an assault Monday afternoon. He kept one of his hands tucked under his shirt, police said. When he turned around suddenly with his hand still under his shirt, McGowan shot him once, killing him, police said.

Florida Ruvio, a family friend, bumped into Lara on his way back from a liquor store near the 7000 block of Bissonnet near Fondren in southwest Houston. Lara told her that some men were chasing him with a knife and asked her to call police. When two officers arrived to investigate the assault report, they approached Lara, asking him to stop and put his hands up. "They were speaking to him in English only," Ruvio said at a news conference

In an all-too-familiar detail, there are also reports that a cellphone with which Ruvio attempted to film the aftermath of the shooting was taken from her. Police have not released the video, if it still exists or if it show anything relevant. However, the theft of the phone provoked harsh criticism from the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.

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No New Trial for Frederick County Deputy Cleared in Stun Gun Death of Black Man Lying Face Down

From [HERE] A federal court is refusing to order a new trial for a Frederick County sheriff’s deputy cleared of liability in the stun-gun-related death of a Frederick man. The Frederick News-Post reports that U.S. District Judge William Quarles Jr. rejected the motion filed by Jarrel Gray’s parents in a ruling filed Wednesday in Baltimore. 

The family of Jarrel Gray filed a $145 million lawsuit against Frederick County, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and Corp. Rudy Torres for the Taser-related death of the 20-year-old in November. A jury found in January that Cpl. Rudy Torres didn’t use excessive force against the 20-year-old man by shocking him twice. 

An autopsy report listed the cause of death as undetermined, associated with restraint and alcohol intoxication.  Gray’s parents claimed the verdict contradicted the weight of the evidence. They said their intoxicated son posed no threat lying face-down and unresponsive after the first jolt from Torres’ stun gun.

On May 9, 2008 a Frederick County grand jury found Torres justified in his actions, following the presentation of an investigation by the Frederick Police Department into the circumstances surrounding Gray's death. [MORE] 

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