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Killings
of unarmed black men by white police officers in the past year have
touched off a national debate about police conduct, which has only
escalated as additional interactions between police and suspects -
lethal or otherwise - are captured on video by law enforcement or
civilians. Here are some recent developments.
---
DETROIT-AREA OFFICER CHARGED IN VIDEOTAPED BEATING
A
prosecutor filed charges Monday against a police officer who pulled a
man from his car during a Detroit-area traffic stop and beat him.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said public confidence in law enforcement is "eroded" when officers abuse citizens.
Inkster
officer William Melendez, who was recently fired, is charged with
mistreatment of a prisoner and assault. Melendez has said "there are
always two sides to every story."
Floyd Dent,
57, was bloodied by repeated punches to the head during the January
traffic stop, which came to light in March when a TV station obtained
the police dashcam video.
Meanwhile, no
charges will be filed in a separate videotaped incident involving
officers from Grosse Pointe Park and Highland Park. Carjacking suspect
Andrew Jackson was kicked and punched while on the ground during an
arrest in Detroit.
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POLICE: BALTIMORE MAN WHO DIED ARRESTED `WITHOUT FORCE'
A
Baltimore man who died a week after his spine was nearly severed while
in custody had been arrested "without force or incident," police said in
court documents obtained Monday.
The officers
had asked before 25-year-old Freddie Gray died of his injuries that he
be charged with carrying a switchblade, punishable by a year in prison
and a $500 fine, according to court records. One record says he suffered
a medical emergency on April 12 while being taken to the station in a
van and was rushed to the hospital.
Civilian
video showed Gray being loaded into the van, but not the entire
encounter. Police also released videos Monday showing Gray's arrest, but
not what happened in the van.
Deputy
Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said the officers have been suspended. He
added the autopsy shows that Gray suffered "a significant spinal injury
that led to his death," but investigators don't know the cause.
"When
Mr. Gray was put in that van, he could talk, he was upset, and when he
was taken out of that van, he could not talk and he could not breathe,"
Rodriguez said.
---
TULSA SHERIFF: VOLUNTEER DEPUTY'S TRAINING RECORD NOT FALSIFIED
Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz said Monday he doesn't believe training records for a volunteer deputy were falsified.
Insurance
executive Robert Bates, 73, is charged with second-degree manslaughter
in the death of Eric Harris, who was shot April 2 after running from
officers during a sting investigation. Bates mistook his handgun for a
stun gun.
Glanz said that Bates, his longtime
insurance agent, was properly trained and passed annual state-mandated
firearms certifications. Glanz also said that action will be taken
against two deputies at the scene, including one caught on video cursing
at Harris as he lay dying. The sheriff didn't specify what that action
may entail.
Glanz said he's known Bates for about 25 years. He added the FBI had determined Bates didn't violate Harris' civil rights.
Dan
Smolen, a lawyer for Harris' family, said Monday that the sheriff's
office violated a number of its internal policies by letting Bates carry
his personal handgun after training at the range on another weapon.
The
Tulsa World newspaper, citing unidentified sources, has reported some
of Bates' supervisors were told to certify him after he failed to meet
some qualifications. Bates has disputed those reports.
---
EXPERT: CLEVELAND OFFICER WRONG TO FIRE FINAL SHOTS IN 2 SUSPECTS' KILLING
Prosecutors'
paid use-of-force expert said Monday a Cleveland police officer acted
unreasonably when he climbed onto a police cruiser and the hood of a car
to fire fatal shots at two unarmed suspects after a high-speed chase in
November 2012.
The expert testified at the
voluntary manslaughter trial of patrolman Michael Brelo, who is on
unpaid administrative leave. Prosecutors say he fired the final 15
rounds of a 137-shot barrage.
The expert said
officers had reason to think their lives were in danger after the
suspects' car backfired, a sound that was mistaken for a gunshot. But he
says the car had stopped and no longer posed a threat when Brelo fired.
---
PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEYS SPAR OVER RELEASING VIDEO IN MOTORIST'S SHOOTING DEATH
A
hearing is set for Tuesday on whether to bar the release of video in
the case of the central Pennsylvania police officer charged in the
shooting death of a motorist.
The video is
from a camera mounted on a stun gun. District Attorney Edward Marisco
Jr. called the video the strongest evidence in the case. Defense
attorney Brian Perry has argued releasing the video could taint the jury
pool.
Authorities say the video shows
Hummelstown police officer Lisa Mearkle firing two bullets into the back
of David Kassick, 59, as he lay face down after a traffic stop. Mearkle
said she feared Kassick was reaching into his jacket for a gun.
Mearkle, charged with criminal homicide in the Feb. 2 incident, waived her preliminary hearing Monday.
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