The NYPD’s Improbable Cause: Class Action Alleges NYPD Arrest Quota System Preys on Blacks and Latinos

From [HERE] This spring, a federal court granted class action status to Riddick’s case, Stinson v. New York City, which seeks to end what the plaintiffs charge is an illegal quota system that forces officers to churn out tickets by the thousands – and ultimately preys on black and Hispanic city residents as targets. (The plaintiffs are represented by the same law firm behind officer Adrian Schoolcraft’s case accusing the NYPD of harassing him after he reported systematic downgrading of serious crimes.) In July, the city filed an appeal that could take up to a year to be decided.

Then in June, Brooklyn judge Noach Dear inflamed the city’s tabloids with a decision that criticized the “sniff test” the NYPD uses to determine when to issue tickets for drinking alcohol in public — and the wide racial gap in the summonses that resulted.

Noting that he could not recall ever seeing a white defendant in court on a public drinking summons, Judge Dear asked his staff to review one month of open-container cases heard in the borough. They found that just 4 percent of defendants were white. Judge Dear proceeded to recommend that the practices and policies of the NYPD be “immediately stopped if found to be discriminatory.” [MORE] 

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Bleckley County (Ga) Sheriff's Deputy Kills Black Man: Witnesses say he was Unarmed, Handcuffed & Allowed to Bleed to Death

From [HERE] A Cochran man who was shot and killed by a Bleckley County Sheriff's deputy Friday night, pointed a gun at an officer, according to a statement released Saturday by the Bleckley County Sheriff's Office. It started out as a simple arrest for theft. "It was a softball, baseball bat and some other athletic equipment," says Sheriff Harold Lancaster.

The news release says officers were attempting to apply handcuffs to 31-year-old Rasheen Wright when a struggle ensued and a deputy tased Wright. After the taser's discharge had expired, the statement says Wright pulled out a gun and pointed it at the deputy who tased him. That's when the other officer shot Wright.

Neighbor James Rozier (in photo) says he saw the whole incident unfold as he watched from his home across the street. "He made a motion to get to a knee, by the time he had made that motion to get to the knee, there was a sheriff, white cop, I mean, he fired," Rozier said. Rozier says he believes Wright was handcuffed, but isn't sure if he had only one wrist or both wrists cuffed. "I seen them taking the handcuffs off, he was handcuffed," Rozier said. He also says he never saw a weapon, and doesn't believe Wright had a gun. 

"He wasn't making no threatening movements, they had already tased him, he was handcuffed," Rozier said. 

His brother who was also present said there was no gun. [MORE]

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Cuevas' Mother says NYPD Commissioner Privately Admitted Fault in Police Shooting of Latino Man

Unclear whether gun went off during or after collision. Witness said Police Shot him after [MORE] 

From [HERE] The heartbroken mother of a bodega worker accidentally killed by a Bronx cop said yesterday she’s furious with the NYPD — and claimed police Commissioner Ray Kelly admitted fault in the tragedy.

“He escaped death inside, and they killed him outside,” a weeping Ana Cuevas said outside her Eastchester building a day after her son, Reynaldo Cuevas, 20, was fatally shot while fleeing an alleged stickup at the store. “His death could have been avoided. I want justice. The police are at fault.” “He said it was his fault,” she said in Spanish.

She said Kelly’s admission did not soothe her pain. “I feel dead. It’s like they killed me,” she said.

The NYPD could not confirm Kelly’s comments yesterday. The commissioner told reporters that Reynaldo’s death was an accident. He said the housing cop — identified by sources as Officer Ramysh Bangali — had his gun drawn when Cuevas ran into him while fleeing the bodega.

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Little Rock Officer Charged with Felony Manslaughter in Police Killing of 15 yr old Black Boy

From [HERE] and [HERE] A police officer who fatally shot a 15-year-old Arkansas boy was charged with felony manslaughter Friday after investigators determined his account of the incident didn’t match up with evidence at the scene, Little Rock police said.

Officer Josh Hastings, who has a history of disciplinary issues with his department, shot Bobby Moore Jr. while responding to a suspicious persons call at an apartment complex on Aug. 12. Hastings claimed the car Moore was driving was heading toward him, prompting him to fire through its windshield, but the police chief said evidence shows the car was either moving in reverse or stopped several feet away from Hastings when he fired.

Moore died at the scene. Two other teenagers in the car fled on foot and weren’t injured.

“I have reviewed this matter and have concluded that the incident did not occur in the manner represented by the officer and that the use of deadly force did not conform to departmental orders,” Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said, adding that prosecutors agreed “the use of deadly force was not justified.”

The 26-year-old officer, who had been suspended six times in five years prior to the August shooting, was booked into jail Friday but later released on $15,000 bond. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The police chief said evidence showed that the vehicle had stopped several feet from Hastings “and that the driver was in the process of reversing direction when the shots were fired.” Thomas also said evidence didn’t support Hasting’s claim that Moore’s vehicle “continued past him,” noting that the teen’s car came to rest after colliding with a parked vehicle behind it, showing that it had been moving in reverse.

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NYPD Claim 'Startled' Officer Shot & Killed Latino Man by Mistake - Unclear whether gun went off during or after collision

From [HERE] and [HERE] A Bronx, N.Y., Latino bodega worker was shot and killed by police responding to a standoff with armed robbers inside the store early Friday morning, according to a law enforcement source and witness accounts. Police say three men entered the bodega and barricaded themselves inside when cops arrived.

20-year-old Reynaldo Cuevas and the bodega's manager were being held at gunpoint by the masked gunmen inside Aneurys Deli Grocery on Franklin Avenue in Morrisania.

A customer who became aware that a robbery was in progress phoned the police, and four officers were dispatched to the scene. Once they arrived, two of the three men, Orlando Ramos and Ernesto Delgado, ran into the store's backroom, leaving their accomplice, Christopher Dorsey, unarmed and alone. Seizing an opportunity to run, Cuevas and the manager took off towards the door, but, on his way out, Cuevas, who had his head down, reportedly stumbled into an officer who had his gun drawn and was subsequently shot.

The victim's cousin Jose Garcia said he witnessed the scene and that Cuevas, a nephew of the store's owner, did not have his hands raised as he left the store and cops opened fire on him.

"I saw the police shoot him," Garcia told NBC 4 New York. "He came up, but he didn't put his hands up. And he tripped or something and when he fell on the floor, they shot him."

In the surveillance video, an officer is seen near the entrance of the store, taking his gun out of its holster when Mr. Mora, store manager, emerges with his hands pointed toward the store. The officer appears to point his pistol at Mr. Mora, then steps back. "The night manager was able to convey quickly that he had been held up at gunpoint," Mr. Kelly said.

Moments later, Mr. Cuevas is seen on the video running out, immediately colliding with the officer who appears startled. Mr. Cuevas lands on the pavement on his back with the officer, who wasn't identified by police, on top of him. [MORE]  A pool of blood appears to form on the ground the instant Cuevas lands on his back. The officer is kneeling and pointing his semiautomatic at Cuevas when the video clip ends.

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Family Speaks Out: PG County Police Shoot Unarmed Handcuffed Black Man in the Back - in serious condition

From [HERE] The family of a 26-year-old man shot in the back while handcuffed by a Prince George's County police officer is speaking out. "This is terrible," says Kalvin Kyle's great-grandmother Barbara Lightfoot. "Why would they shoot him in his back while he's handcuffed?"

The shooting happened at the intersection of County Road and Foster Street. Police say Kyle tried to escape after stealing a motorcycle. Lightfoot doesn't buy that. "They said he was running from them," says Lightfoot. "I said, ‘How far could he get with his hands tied behind him?"'

Kyle's sister, Shalonya Kyle, says that was unlikely,  "He has rods in his legs," Shalonya Kyle says. "If there was a race between him and me, he would not win. He can't run far."

Sgt. Johnnie Riley, an eight-year department veteran, is on leave while investigators look into the shooting. Even if he was a track star - is that PG County Police murder policy - shooting n**** in the back? 

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Family of Black Man Killed by Salt Lake Police during Arrest File Suit: Witness says Nelson Pled for his Life Before Cops Tased him

Cops Asked Witness to Change Story. In photo, family members of Allen Nelson, show their emotions during a news conference. From [HERE] and [HERE] The family of Allen Nelson, a 44-year-old Salt Lake City Black man who died in police custody after being stopped by police while on his bike, has filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against the Salt Lake City Police Department. It alleges negligence and excessive force, which they claim resulted in Nelson’s death. Allen Keith Nelson, 44, died while in the process of being arrested on June 9. Nelson's family believes a Taser was deployed on Nelson's chest, causing him to go into cardiac arrest.

Nelson's family claims police are lying about what happened in their civil lawsuit, which is based largely on the testimony of a woman who said she witnessed the event. The incident happened about 3 a.m. as Nelson was ridng on a bicycle.  About the same time, Burbank said his department received several calls of a disturbance in the area and officers were sent to investigate. They found evidence that someone had broken into a home and found Nelson's backpack inside, he said. An officer spotted Nelson — who initially seemed "very agitated" — and after talking to him, placed him in handcuffs, Burbank said. "He went into custody without a big struggle."

But Darlene Bessonette, who lives in the same apartment where Nelson was visiting, said she saw police using excessive force. "(Nelson) was crying and he was saying, 'Don't hit me anymore, don't hit me anymore. I didn't do it. I didn't do it,'" she said. That's when Bessonette said she heard the officers talk about using their Tasers.

"I heard the officer say, 'I Tased him,' and the other one say, 'Oh my … he's not breathing.' And I'm thinking, 'Somebody do CPR, do CPR on him.' … I just stood there and watched and nothing happened,'" she said.

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Hearing Set: White Plains Defends Terrorist Cop - Police Officer Yelled N****r before Killing Unarmed Black Marine

From [HERE] and [HERE] Lawyers for the family of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., the 68-year-old former Marine killed by a White Plains police officer in a racially-charged shooting, have filed court papers opposing the city's bid to dismiss a federal lawsuit stemming from the incident.

Chamberlain, 68, who was African-American, was shot dead by White Plains Officer Anthony Carelli, who is white, Nov. 19 following a two-hour standoff at the door of his apartment in the Winbrook Public Housing complex. Police went to his residence because his medical alert device went off. When they arrived Chamberlain told police he did not need any help through his front door. Police demanded he open up his own door. The Chamberlain family contends police used racial slurs against Chamberlain during the incident. One White Plains officer, Steven Hart has been suspended for allegedly using the N-word against Chamberlain, a charge Hart denies.

In May, a Westchester County grand jury declined to indict Carelli or any of the other half-dozen or so officers involved in the incident. Federal prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine whether to launch a criminal civil rights investigation.

In July, Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. filed a $21 million wrongful death lawsuit in federal court. The encounter was recorded by audio and video devices. Transcripts from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office of audio recordings reveal Officer Steven Hart as the officer who said to Chamberlain, “Stop, we have to talk nigger” before police broke down his door. The suit claims that cops taunted the 68-year-old Chamberlain for more than an hour before breaking down his apartment door. 

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Black Man shot by Louisville Police Detective wants answers: After Shooting the Officer was Tested for DUI

From [HERE] The man shot by a Louisville Metro Police Detective Tuesday night is asking "why me?"

On Tuesday Ishmael Gough, 22, and his attorney, Derek O'Bryan said Gough committed no crime in his encounter with police.
  O'Bryan said Gough was driving and was just a block from home when he noticed he was being tailed. Gough pulled over and that's when Detective Chauncey Carthan in plain clothes, an unmarked car without sirens or police lights approached his vehicle.

"He did stop his car. Detective Carthan got out of his care.  My client complied with his orders," O'Bryan said, "My client begged not to be shot and he was shot in the street. I can tell you that my client was unarmed and that he hasn't been charged with any crimes and I don't believe he was the subject of any ongoing investigation by the detective."

In response to reports of an altercation between Gough and the detective, "There was a confrontation to the extent that my client was an unarmed civilian on the street and that he was shot by a police officer. I can tell you that he was no way the aggressor in this situation. " O'Bryan also says it was a passerby that called 911. When officers arrived Police Chief Steve Conrad said on Thursday that they performed tests to determine if Carthan was intoxicated.  

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Scathing Report says Abuse, "Force First Policy" by LA County Deputies Rampant in Jail System

From [HERE] A scathing report Friday depicted a rogue culture inside the nation's largest county jail system in which deputies abused and humiliated inmates while top management failed to recognize problems or weed out violent officers.

The preliminary findings by investigators for a Los Angeles County commission said a "force first" approach was employed in jails to establish authority over inmates, rather than as a last resort. The investigators concluded that a "code of silence" blocked the county Sheriff's Department, which oversees the jails, from detecting or preventing excessive force used against inmates. The report said deputies have used force against inmates even "when there was no threat at all," and referred to "a culture of aggression among some deputies in the jails."

It also provided a sharply critical critique of Sheriff Lee Baca, describing him as aloof from the trouble festering in his senior ranks, and faulting him for failing to monitor and control how force is used in the jails.

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