About a quarter of the city’s 84 homicide victims so far in 2017 have died through domestic violence, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
The victims have included a UNC-Charlotte professor, at least one pregnant woman and, on Saturday, a recent immigrant and her mother-in-law. Police said her husband shot and killed both women, and then himself, in an east Charlotte apartment.
In the next few years, city leaders hope to save lives and reduce Charlotte’s domestic violence overall by opening a family justice center, based on a model that has worked well in other cities, CMPD Sgt. Craig Varnum said.
“Instead of the victim having to go across the street to talk to a Safe Alliance advocate, down the road to talk to someone at Community Support Services to get counseling for their child, coming here to talk to a police officer and across the street to get a 50B (protective order), they go to one place,” where representatives from all those agencies will be available, he said.
The center is only in planning stages, but Varnum said he expects it will open within three years. He said it’s too early to estimate how much the center will cost.
Communities around the state and country have seen big reductions in domestic violence after opening family justice centers, Varnum said. In San Diego, where the country’s first family justice center opened in 2002, he said domestic violence calls dropped 50 percent during a six-year period. Domestic violence homicides declined, too, he said.
Beyond the key goal of improving victims’ lives, reducing domestic violence will help the city overall, Varnum said. Nearly 40 percent of the 52 homicide suspects identified so far this year have criminal histories including domestic violence, he said.
“We spend more time investigating crimes of domestic violence than any other crime that we respond to,” he said. “We average about 35,000 calls per service per year that are related to domestic violence.” Varnum said about 9,000 of those calls turn into criminal reports every year.
The Buncombe County Family Justice Center opened in Asheville in 2016, and Varnum cited research about what victims in Buncombe County dealt with before the center opened.
In the first three days after a victim asked for help – a request often sparked by a violent, traumatic incident, Varnum said – Buncombe County found that, on average, victims went to eight different locations, spoke with 12 people about their cases and filled out 61 pages of paperwork.
The traveling and bureaucracy are a particular challenge for victims who have come to an unfamiliar place without transportation and who may be accompanied by children, Varnum said. In contrast, the family justice center is meant to be a safe place where victims can get all the help they need.
Laura Lawrence, chief legal officer for Safe Alliance, which helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Mecklenburg County, will work with Varnum to lead the creation of the new center, she said Wednesday.
So far, the steering committee includes representatives from Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center, the district attorney’s office, Child and Family Services Center and the county’s Community Support Services, along with Safe Alliance and the police, Lawrence said.
In the new center, Lawrence said victims will meet first with a Safe Alliance representative, who will help them file a protective order and decide what to do next.
Filing protective orders sometimes involves waiting in court for hours, Lawrence said, which can be intimidating and stressful for victims, especially when they have children. As early as March – long before the new center opens – Safe Alliance clients will be able to stay in a safe place and make video calls into the courtroom instead of going in person, Lawrence said.
KEITH LAMONT SCOTT'S MURDER vs CHARLOTTE'S FAKE RACIST PROTESTS:
RACIALLY MOTIVATED RIOTS ARE SMOKESCREENS FOR WHAT ELITE ARE REALLY DOING.
DEMOCRATS' CONTINUED AGENDA TO DIVIDE POLICE AND BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
Sources: Charlotte Observer, Alex Jones, Wall Street Journal, WSOC, Russia Today, YouTube
In September 2016 a 43-yr old Black Man was shot and killed in Charlotte, NC by a Black
Police Officer.
Charlotte Police Officials and Charlotte-Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray, state forensic video evidence shows Keith Lamont Scott brandishing a firearm prior to being shot and killed by CMPD.
However Mr Scott's widow and other witnesses state he was not holding a gun.
Nevertheless there will be no charges filed against the CMPD Officer who shot Mr Scott.
So do I believe the CMPD Officer who shot Mr Scott should be reprimanded because perhaps he acted too quickly in using DEADLY FORCE towards Mr Scott?
Yes!
Do I believe DEMOCRAT Leaders who are still angry DONALD TRUMP defeated HILLARY CLINTON on Nov 8th, election night are using RACISM to keep BLACK Voters stirred up and divided so that more BLACK people will be shot by the Police as a means of covering up something more sinister at the hands of ELITE DEMOCRAT Government leaders?
Yes!
It's time for BLACK America to wake up and realize we are being Bamboozled with Political RACE WARS while the ELITE are stealing more MONEY from BLACK American communities.
It's time for BLACK America to wake up and realize we are being Fooled with Political RACE WARS while ELITE Leaders are putting more BLACK Men in PRISON and giving all the JOBS to people from other countries.
Wake Up BLACK People!
Stop Being So Gullible!
------------------------------------------------
***** Attorneys for Keith Lamont Scott family own some blame for shooting protests
From Jerry Sennett, a retired deputy chief for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department who now lives in Stanley, N.C.:
The fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott was certainly tragic for both the Scott family and the police officers involved. No police officer who I ever worked with in my 30-year career with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department ever wanted to be in a position to have to use deadly force or take a life. Unfortunately those situations do occur and I am glad that the SBI investigation and the presentation to the public by District Attorney Andrew Murray cleared up the facts of this case. I hope CMPD and the citizens of Charlotte can move forward and repair some of the damage caused by this situation.
I do believe the Scott family attorneys bear some responsibility for the unrest that occurred following the shooting. They knew or should have known that the information being put out on social media by the family was incorrect. Mr. Scott was never shot with his hands up or while holding a book, did indeed purchase a stolen gun and was a convicted felon.
The attorneys consistently criticized CMPD and the City of Charlotte for not being transparent with the community. As officers of the court, they did nothing to diminish or to correct the misinformation that caused injuries and senseless destruction in the aftermath of the Scott shooting.
Police officers are held to higher standard. Maybe it is time the Scott family attorneys stop placing the blame on others and take responsibility for their actions and the outcome of this tragic situation.
***** Charlotte police chief weighs in DA’s Keith Lamont Scott decision
Charlotte’s Police Chief Kerr Putney says the ordeal surrounding the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott this summer has been tough on his department and its officers.
Wednesday morning, the district attorney announced the officer involved in the shooting, Brentley Vinson, will not face criminal charges in the incident. Since then, there's been a hint of tension in the air. Protesters were already angry at the shooting. Now, some are furious at the decision not to charge the officer.
In a recent interview with WBTV, Putney addressed issues ranging from Officer Vinson’s return to work to the department’s pledge of more transparency.
“My focus is on this organization, this community and moving forward. We have a lot of healing to do. A lot of people are hurting," Putney said. "We have at least two families that have been devastated. We’re trying to pick up the pieces with our community and move forward.”
Putney said he has spoken with Vinson. He said the shooting hasn't been easy for the officer, despite being cleared.
"I wouldn’t categorize it as relief," Putney said. "Nobody puts on this uniform and comes to work any day of the week expecting to take a life. That’s not what we’re here for. It’s not what we’re about."
The chief said Vinson isn't back on the job yet.
"The internal investigation has to run its course then we can talk about how he returns to work."
LAMONT SCOTT DEATH VIDEO RELEASED BY CHARLOTTE POLICE:
WAS THE VIDEO EDITED OR UNEDITED?
PLEASE PRAY FOR BLACK MEN IN AMERICA.
PLEASE PRAY FOR UNITY BETWEEN BLACK PEOPLE AND THE POLICE.
Sources: CMPD, CNN, YouTube
**** Charlotte shooting: Police release video and photo evidence
Story highlights
Police photos show pistol, holster and marijuana cigarette officers say were retrieved at scene.
Dashcam and body-camera videos do not show Scott pointing a gun at officers.
Videos released Saturday by the Charlotte police department of the fatal encounter between Keith Scott and officers do little to answer some of the most significant questions about the shooting.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney has said as much since the Tuesday shooting that sparked protests and brought nationwide media attention once again to the use of deadly force by law enforcement.
Authorities have said an African-American officer shot Scott, who was black, when he made a threatening move with a gun. Saturday, police released photos of a pistol and ankle holster recovered at the scene.
Scott's family has said he had no gun, that he was reading a book, and he was being non-aggressive when police were surrounding him.
Neither police dashcam nor body-camera footage shows Scott pointing a gun at police officers. At one point in the body-camera video, there is a view of Scott from his right side and he has his arm by his body, but it is unclear if there is a gun.
"You can't clearly identify what, if anything, is in his hand," attorney Justin Bamberg, who represents the Scott family, said at news conference Saturday evening.
Putney had said, before the videos were released, that "there is no definitive visual evidence that he had a gun in his hand."
The chief has also said the videos are part of the evidence, the totality of which will show the shooting was justified.
Police say officer saw gun
The release comes one day after a video recorded by Keith Scott's widow was released publicly. Putney said the cell phone recording didn't factor into his decision to release dashcam and body-camera video of the fatal shooting.
"Our practice and our protocol is to release as soon as we can, to inform," Putney said, adding that he waited until the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assured him it would not adversely impact its investigation.
Tuesday's shooting of Scott, a black man, by a black police officer at an apartment complex parking lot has led to protests -- which turned violent at times -- in Charlotte over the past five nights. It is among a number of shootings in recent years that have spurred debate about how and when police should use deadly force and how race factors into whom police shoot.
The status of the videos held by police -- body-camera and dashcam footage -- was a point of contention between police and Scott's family, with authorities declining to release them throughout the week.
Demonstrators on Saturday gathered for a fifth day in the city's center. A diverse crowd of hundreds of people marched from Marshall Park after a short rally. The crowd stopped at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police headquarters and chanted: "No tapes; no peace."
'Don't shoot him'
Scott's widow released her cell phone recording of the shooting -- the first to be released publicly -- on Friday.
"Don't shoot him. He has no weapon," Rakeyia Scott can be heard saying in the footage. The first portions of the shaky video appear to show a number of police officers surround a vehicle in a parking lot.
A man repeatedly yells for someone -- apparently Keith Scott -- to "drop the gun."
"He doesn't have a gun. He has a TBI (traumatic brain injury)," Rakeyia Scott says. "He's not going to do anything to you guys. He just took his medicine."
She goes on to say: "Keith, don't let them break the windows; come on out the car. Keith! Don't do it. Keith, get out the car. Keith! Keith, don't you do it. Don't you do it. Keith! Keith! Keith!"
The video shakes, and for a moment, a man in bright blue pants is seen near the surrounded vehicle. Gunshots are heard as Rakeyia Scott says again, "Don't you do it."
She then yells: "Did you shoot him? Did you shoot him? He better not be (expletive) dead." Two people kneel over the figure with blue pants, apparently Keith Scott, now lying on the ground.
Smashed windows to handshakes: 24 hours in Charlotte
Police said an officer shot Scott after he failed to heed commands to drop a gun. His family has said he didn't have a gun.
The gun police say they recovered from the scene was loaded, a source close to the investigation told CNN. The source said investigators recovered from the weapon fingerprints, blood and DNA that matched with Scott. The source said the blood most likely got on the gun after the shooting.
'We want the public to take a look at this tape'
Another attorney for the Scott family told CNN the recording was released because officials would not furnish the police footage to the public.
"We want the public to take a look at this tape and see what was in the video before he was shot, and what was there afterward, and ask how it got there," Eduardo Curry said Friday.
Rakeyia Scott mentioned a traumatic brain injury in the recording, and Scott's family has said he was disabled after being in a near-death motorcycle crash last year.
"My understanding (is) that he had had an accident last year that was pretty traumatic, and as a result, made him at least disabled in some particular instances (and was) taking medication for it," Curry said.
The Scott family said it released the video in the "name of truth and transparency," according to a statement released by attorney Charles G. Monnett. "We encourage everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are known. This is simply one step in our quest to find the truth for this family."
Police allowed the family to see the police-held footage Thursday.
The shooting
Central to the protests are the differing accounts between police and Scott's family over what led to his death. Authorities said a black police officer fatally shot Scott, a father of seven, at the apartment complex as officers looked for another man named in a warrant they were trying to serve there.
Clinton, Trump change plans to visit Charlotte after mayor's plea
Police said Scott had a gun as he exited his vehicle, and that Officer Brentley Vinson shot him after Scott did not comply with officers' commands to drop the weapon.
Scott's family has said he was reading a book and waiting for his son to come home from school at the time. Police said no book was found at the scene.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating a deadly shooting involving an officer.
The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday on Crestview Drive when a CMPD officer shot and killed 28-year-old Michael DeAngelo Laney.
Investigators say it started when officers tried to stop a man on a red scooter, because that scooter fit the description of a vehicle used in armed robbery on June 25.
Authorities say police attempted to stop the scooter, but the suspect tried to get away and ran to his house on Crestview Drive.
Police say officers struggled with Laney when they caught him. Investigators say Laney then reached for a gun and Officer Anthony Holzhauer shot and killed Laney.
Officer Holzhauer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Officer Holzhauer has been with CMPD since January 2010.
This is the second officer-involved shooting in the last week. Last Wednesday, a CMPD officer shot a robbery suspect during a chase in northwest Charlotte.
The suspect, Christopher Michael Fortson, ran from police and pulled a gun during the chase. Fortson was shot but was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
After the incident, officer Joshua Baswell was placed on administrative leave while the investigation is being conducted.
Monday night's shooting happened just five miles away from last Wednesday's shooting off of West Avenue.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have arrested a robbery suspect after a brief standoff with a SWAT team in west Charlotte Friday morning.
Police said officers went to serve an arrest warrant for Daniel Donte Moore, 26, but he refused to come out of a home off of Harrison Street and Ferry Road.
The SWAT team was called to the scene and quickly surrounded the home, according to police. After a brief standoff, authorities were able to take Moore into custody.
Moore was wanted in connection with a robbery at a Charlotte business. There were no reported injuries during the incident.
Whenever a BLACK citizen tries to assert their Legal rights with a Charlotte Cop, that citizen ends up DEAD Or in a Coma. But get this! Charlotte has both a BLACK Police Chief & a BLACK Mayor! So what's going on? Is this some kind of local Conspiracy to run many of Charlotte's BLACK residents out of Charlotte? i.e., Mayor Bloomberg style in NYC? There have even been instances where BLACK College students have tried to assert their legal rights in a Civil manner with Charlotte Cops & those citizens were STILL Arrested! This is being done from the Top down! Its almost as if Charlotte's City Leaders & Charlotte Police Chief Actually HATES most of Charlotte's BLACK Citizens. Something sure smells fishy!
A teen charged with assaulting Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Captain Charles Adkins says he caught Adkins putting dog feces in a friend’s mailbox and that’s what started the fight.
CMPD is now investigating Capt. Adkins and his actions before that confrontation, as well as conducting a criminal investigation into his assault. Adkins was off-duty at the time.
Captain Adkins suffered severe lacerations, plus ended up kicked and punched. He is now on sick leave as a result of the injuries.
Jamel Williams, 16, says he looked out a window Wednesday in the Reedy Creek neighborhood and saw Adkins putting dog poop in friend Kendrick Neely's mailbox.
That is when Williams and Neely both went outside to confront him.
"He knew I knew it was him and he tried to walk away,” Williams said. "He just got all nasty and all angry and we were asking why he'd put it in the mailbox."
Williams claims Adkins admitted putting the dog poop in Neely's mailbox that day, plus several times over the last two weeks. Williams claims Adkins blames him and Neely for recent neighborhood crimes.
Neely was arrested January 10 on three counts of possession of stolen goods. Neely was also arrested January 16 for assault and battery, communicating threats and disorderly conduct.
Williams, meanwhile was arrested last December for breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen goods. Williams says he found a bag of stolen items in the woods and was arrested while looking through it but says he didn’t steal it.
Both of their pictures are on flyers distributed in the Reedy Creek neighborhood with the headline "Community Safety Alert." It’s unclear who distributed the flyer.
"He said we'd been doing things in the neighborhood that we haven’t been doing,” Williams said.
Williams says he asked Adkins several times if he was a police officer but didn't get an answer.
That's when Williams says he decided to follow Adkins home and told him he was going to call police on Adkins about the dog poop in the mailbox.
"When I said we were going to follow him to his house, that's when he punched me,” Williams said.
Williams has a swollen lip and bruised arm from the fight.
"He didn't want us to find out he was a cop and that's why he started this whole big thing,” Williams said.
Williams says he had a knife on him and showed it to Adkins but didn't use it in the fight. Williams was arrested and charged with assault and battery.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are putting Tasers back into officers' hands today, six months after use of the weapons was suspended following the death of a 21-year-old suspect.
In September, the Charlotte City Council voted to spend $1.83 million for 1,600 Taser X2 stun guns. Police says the new Tasers have safety features to prevent officers from possibly injuring or killing suspects.
The Taser X2 will replace the model previously used by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the X26 Taser.
The Taser X2, produced by Arizona-based Taser International, has a five-second limit on each electric charge, a function that makes the device more safe, police have said. Officers using the new Taser can also trigger a visible and audible warning that may convince suspects to comply without evening firing the weapon.
Use of the department's nearly 1,200 Taser X26 stun guns was suspended on July 21. The day before, police were called to a Lynx light rail station along Old Pineville Road after a report of a man beating and choking a woman. The suspect was identified as Lareko Williams.
The first officer to respond fired his X26 Taser just as Williams was about to strike the woman again, police said. Williams became unresponsive, police said, and the officer called for help. Williams died about an hour later.
Williams' death came only a day after a federal jury awarded $10 million to the family of Darryl Wayne Turner, the 17-year-old who died after a CMPD officer shocked him with a Taser in 2008. The jury found that Taser International failed to warn that the weapon could cause cardiac arrest. In that case, police said the officer violated policy when he shocked Turner for about 37 seconds. The city of Charlotte denied wrongdoing, but it paid $625,000 to Turner's family.
After Williams' death last summer, all of the department's Tasers were collected from officers, tested and inspected, police said. About a month later, police announced they'd finished a month-long internal review on Taser use but that officers would not carry the devices until a second, outside review was completed.
Then police examined the possibility of purchasing a newer model.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe said last year that Tasers enhance citizen safety by "giving officers a viable option to minimize injuries to themselves and others."
But the devices, which can discharge 50,000 volts to briefly incapacitate suspects, have been linked to hundreds of deaths across the country. Police in Fayetteville suspended their use of Tasers last year after a 56-year-old man died while officers tried to subdue him with one.
Last Wednesday Another Another Young, BLACK Man Was Killed Via Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers Wielding Taser Guns.
21 Year-Old Lareko Williams Was Pronounced DEAD At A Charlotte Hospital After Being Tasered By A CMPD Officer Who Responded To A Scene Involving Williams Allegedly Abusing A Woman Presumed To Be His Girlfriend.
The Incident Occurred At A Charlotte Light Rail Station.
i.e., Lynx Blue Line Trains Operated By CATS.
Earlier This Week The Family Of Another Young, BLACK Also Killed By Charlotte Police Officer Via A Taser Gun, Was Awarded $10 Million In A Lawsuit Against The Manufacturer Of Taser Guns Used By CMPD.
Since This Incident Occurred At A Charlotte Light Rail Station Its Imperative I Touch On Several Related Key Elements.
BLACK Citizens Who Ride Charlotte Light Rail Trains Are Treated Very Poorly By Both Charlotte Police Officers & CATS Employees.
Were It Not For BLACK Citizens Using Charlotte's Mass Public Transportation System, CATS Would Make Hardly Any Money To Operate The System Because Most Of Its Passengers Are In Fact BLACK.
Yet.....
Those Same BLACK Passengers Which Keeps CATS Functioning Are Treated Very Poorly i.e., Obvious, Blatant RACISM!
Yes RACISM!!
Whether Charlotte's Scared BLACK Mayor & Scared BLACK City Council Officials Wish To Ever Admit It, And Even Though Charlotte Won The 2012 DNC Bid, Charlotte, North Carolina Is STILL A City Largely Troubled & Divided By Centuries Old KKK Institutionalized RACISM!!
When BLACK Passengers Ride The Charlotte Light Rail If A BLACK Passenger Is Found To Be Riding The Light Rail Without A Ticket, They Are Immediately Given A $50.00 Citation Ticket By Either A CMPD Officer Or A CATS Light Rail Employee.
However....
If A WHITE Passenger Is Found To Be Riding Charlotte's Light Rail System Without A Ticket That WHITE Light Rail Passenger Is NEVER Given A Ticket!
Instead They Are Simply Allowed To Exit The Train At The Next Stop & All Is Well.
If That Isn't A Blatant Example Of Racism Then Please Explain To Me What Is??
If BLACK Passengers Are Loud & Rowdy On Charlotte's Light Rail Trains They Are Either Arrested By CMPD Officers Or Made To Exit At The Nearest Stop.
However....
If WHITE Passengers Are Loud & Rowdy On Charlotte's Light Rail Trains They Are Allowed To Continue Riding Without ANY Interference From CMPD Officers Or CATS Light Rail Employees.
If That Isn't Another Blatant Example Of Racism Then Please Explain To Me What Is??
In Charlotte's WHITE Or Predominantly Communities The Buses Are ALWAYS ON TIME.
However....
In Charlotte's BLACK Or Predominantly BLACK Communities (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) The Buses Are NEVER On Time!!
If That Isn't Another Blatant Example Of Racism Then Please Explain To Me What Is??
In Charlotte's WHITE Or Predominantly Communities The Buses Are ALWAYS Clean, NEW Or Well Maintained.
However.....
In Charlotte's BLACK Or Predominantly BLACK Communities (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) The Buses Are ALWAYS OLD, Raggedy, Roach-Infested & Poorly Maintained.
Despite The Fact That Both Charlotte's BLACK & WHITE Citizens Pay The SAME Fares To Use CATS Services, Its Quite Obvious Charlotte's WHITE Citizens Are Clearly Getting A Better Bang For Their Buck!
However....
If Charlotte's WHITE Citizens Choose To Complain About Charlotte's CATS Already GREAT Services In Their Communities, Charlotte Officials Including Mayor Anthony Foxx Immediately Sees To It Their Concerns Are Heard & Corrected.
However....
If Charlotte's BLACK Citizens Choose To Complain About Charlotte's CATS Blatantly POOR Services In Their Communities (East, Northwest, Southwest, West Charlotte), Charlotte Officials Including Mayor Anthony Foxx Immediately Sees To It Their Concerns Are NOT Heard & The Already POOR CATS Services In Charlotte's BLACK Communities (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Gets WORSE!!
i.e., RETALIATION FOR SPEAKING UP!!!
Again I Ask If That Isn't Another Blatant Example Of Racism Then Please Explain To Me What Is??
In Addition Charlotte's Light Rail System Was Built On Charlotte's South Side, An Area Of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Predominantly Occupied By Charlotte's Wealthy, WHITE Citizens.
But Where Did The Money Come From To Construct Charlotte's Light Rail System?
Charlotte's BLACK Citizens (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Because Charlotte's Public Mass Transportation System (CATS) Is Utilized By More BLACK Citizens Than WHITE Citizens At Least 10:1!
However.....
Despite This Fact Charlotte's BLACK Communities (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Have ONLY Been Given An Old Trolley & Raggedy, OLD, Roach-Infested Buses Which NEVER Run On Time!
Charlotte's 2nd BLACK Mayor In The City's History Anthony Foxx & Other BLACK City Council Officials Are Well Aware Of How POORLY Charlotte's BLACK Citizens (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Are Treated By CATS (Charlotte's Mass Public Transportation System) But Don't Seem To Care Or Give A Darn.
NO They Don't Seem To Give A Darn!
Even Though Were It NOT For Charlotte's BLACK Voters (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Neither Anthony Foxx, Nor Patrick Cannon, Warren Turner, James Mitchell, David Howard (All BLACK) Would Currently Be Serving In Public Office.
All Of That Brings Us Back To The Recent Situation At Hand About Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers Using Unnecessary Force On Charlotte's BLACK Residents ((East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte)) Whenever They Are Called To Respond To An Incident.
Especially If It Involves An Incident Which May Adversely Impact Charlotte's WHITE Citizens Who Ride The Light Rail Line. i.e., Lynx Blue Line.
As Mentioned Above Young, BLACK Male Citizen Mr. Lareko Williams (Now Deceased) Was Apparently Allegedgly Hitting His Presumed Girlfriend At A Charlotte Light Rail Station When CMPD Officers Were Called To The Scene By A Witness.
Notice I Said This Incident Occurred At A Charlotte Light Rail Station.
You Know The SAME Light Rail System Built Primarily To Service Charlotte's WHITE Citizens, At The Expense Of Charlotte's BLACK CATS Passengers Who Use Charlotte's CATS Services 10:1.
Now Since I Was NOT At The Scene Of The Crime, I Don't Know What Actually Happened.
But It Is Clear That Mr. Williams Did NOT Have A Gun Of Any Type On His Person, Nor Did He Pull A Weapon Of Any Type At The CMPD Officer Called To The Scene.
So Why Was He Tasered To DEATH??
Notice I Said To DEATH!!
As In The Officer Continued To Taser Mr. Williams Until He Died From Cardiac Arrest!
For The Record I Do NOT Advocate Or Endorse Domestic Violence Period?
NO I Don't!! Of Course Not!
Except The Way I See It Is Violence Is Violence Whether Its Perpetrated By A Regular Citizen Or An CMPD Officer.
Excuse Me But.....
Didn't The City Of Charlotte Just Pay Out A HUGE Settlement To The Family Of Another Young, BLACK Male Citizen, Darryl Turner Who Died After Being Tasered TO DEATH By Another CMPD Officer?
As In The Officer Continued To Taser Mr. Turner Until He Too Died From Cardiac Arrest?
YES!!
Excuse Me But.....
Didn't Darryl Turner's Family Recently Win A $10 Million Settlement From The Manufacturer Of Taser Guns Used By CMPD Officers?
YES!!
Neither Young, BLACK Male Citizen Killed By CMPD Officers Via Taser Guns, Were Carrying Weapons Or Threatened CMPD Officers With Weapons.
Unless....
Weapons Were Planted On Mr. Williams' & Mr. Turner's Person By CMPD Officers.
Or....
Unless CMPD Investigators Lied In Their Reports That Both Men DID Have Weapons In Their Possession When CMPD Officers Responded To The Calls Involving Both Men.
So Why Were Those Two Young, BLACK Male Citizens Killed By CMPD Officers??
Why Were Darryl Turner & Lareko Williams Tasered Until DEATH Occurred??
i.e., INTENTIONAL ACT; MURDER; MANSLAUGHTER!
Does Legally Wearing A Police Uniform & Police Badge Give CMPD Officers A License To Just Randomly KILL Young, BLACK Male Citizens Or Young, BLACK Female Citizens At Will???
NO!! At Least It Shouldn't!
Well Then Why Is It That Charlotte's Chief Of Police & Charlotte's Mayor (Both BLACK Men) Have Continued To Allow CMPD Officers To Use & KILL Charlotte's Young, BLACK Citizens With Taser Guns??
Is It Just To Make Charlotte's WHITE Citizens Feel Safe & To Prevent WHITE Flight From The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Region ?
(i.e., Charlotte's New 2020 Vision Plan)
What About Making Charlotte's BLACK Citizens (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Feel SAFE Too?
Why Is It CMPD Officers REFUSE To Protect Charlotte's BLACK Citizens From Crime & Refuse To Help Solve Murders Against Charlotte's BLACK Citizens (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) In A Timely Manner Vs. How Quickly They Diligently Work To Solve Murders & Crime Committed Against Charlotte's WHITE Citizens?
But Yet.....
CMPD Officers Appear To Have NO Problem Working Diligently To Protect, Investigate & Solve Crimes/ Murders Against Charlotte's WHITE Citizens?
Such Injustices & Disparities Against BLACK Citizens Should NOT Be Happening In A Major, So-Called Metropolitan City, Run By A BLACK Mayor In The Year 2011!
After All Since Charlotte's BLACK Mayor Anthony Foxx & His BLACK City Council Colleagues (Patrick Cannon, Warren Turner, James Mitchell, David Howard) Frequently Boasts About "Charlotte Being A Diverse City", Why Have Charlotte's BLACK Citizens Been Treated More Poorly, More Unfairly & Been Offered Fewer Opportunities For Success Only AFTER Anthony Foxx Was Elected??
Inquiring Minds Would Like To Know! Like Yesterday!
Meanwhile Perhaps It Will Take More HUGE Lawsuit Settlements Against The City Of Charlotte & More HUGE Lawsuit Settlements Against The Manufacturer Of Taser Guns Used By CMPD Officers, Until The City Of Charlotte Is BROKE!!! Before Civil Rights & Equal Rights Is Truly Demonstrated To Charlotte's BLACK Citizens.
To The Family Of Mr. Lareko Williams, I'm So Sorry For Your Loss.
I Suggest You Hire An EXCELLENT Attorney Like The One Hired By Darryl Turner's Family, NOW!!!
Or Just Hire The SAME Attorney If Need Be Since He's Already Familiar With CMPD Officers Use Of Excessive Force Against Charlotte's Young, BLACK Citizens.
I Repeat: Such Injustices & Disparities Against BLACK Citizens (East, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, West Charlotte) Should NOT Be Happening In A Major, So-Called Metropolitan City, Run By A BLACK Mayor In The Year 2011!
As A BLACK Woman I Do Believe In Supporting BLACK Leaders.
But Only If Those Same BLACK Leaders Also Support Their BLACK Constituents AFTER Being Elected By BLACK Voters.
I Somehow Feel Obligated To Help Re-Elect Pres. Obama Because Whether I Agree With ALL Of His Policies Or Not, Barack Obama Is PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!
To The Contrary Mayor Anthony Foxx Is Just Leader of ONE City.
Its Not Hard For Anthony Foxx To Demonstrate Equality & Fairness On His Level As A Mayor.
Anthony Foxx Is Managing a City NOT An Entire Nation!
i.e., FOXX Is NOT U.S. President Barack Obama, Thus He Has NO Excuse For NOT Demonstrating Equality & Fairness To ALL Of Charlotte's Citizens Versus Just Charlotte's WHITE Citizens.
However If Anthony Foxx Is Afraid To Demonstrate Equality & Fairness For ALL Of Charlotte's Citizens, Then Perhaps He Should NOT Be Re-Elected Mayor Of Charlotte.
If On The Other Hand Mayor Anthony Foxx Is NOT Afraid To Demonstrate Equality & Fairness For ALL Of Charlotte's Citizens Versus Just Charlotte's WHITE Citizens, Then Please Begin To Show It To Charlotte's BLACK Voters Prior To This Fall's Local Elections.
Let Us Pray & Vote Responsibly When Returning To The Polls This Fall.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is taking all of its Tasers off the streets for as many as 45 days, after a suspect died when he was shocked by an officer's X26 Taser at a Lynx light rail station.
Police say Lareko Williams, 21, was beating and choking a woman when confronted by Officer Michael Forbes at the station on Woodlawn Road around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Williams was pronounced dead about an hour later.
The death came just a day after a federal jury in Charlotte awarded $10 million to the family of 17-year-old Darryl Wayne Turner, who died in 2008 after a CMPD officer shocked him with a Taser.
In response to the jury's award against the company that makes Tasers, Charlotte City Attorney Mac McCarley said police officers would continue to use the weapons.
"It is still a very effective, nonlethal force to control a situation," he told the Observer Wednesday, just hours before the confrontation at the light rail station.
But the $10 million verdict and Wednesday's death are certain to revive debate over the weapons. Tasers can deliver a 50,000-volt shock that temporarily paralyzes suspects, and have been linked to hundreds of deaths across the country.
Earlier this year, the Union County town of Stallings stopped using Tasers because of liability issues.
CMPD on Thursday suspended use of its roughly 1,200 Tasers for 30 to 45 days as the weapons are tested to make sure they're working properly. The Taser used on Williams will be sent to an independent laboratory to be tested, police said.
The department will also review its Taser policies and procedures to ensure they're in line with established national standards.
Foxx supports chief's action
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said Thursday that he wants to see the results of the CMPD review before taking any further action.
"I have spoken with Police Chief Rodney Monroe several times in the last 24 hours and he has assured me that all aspects of this incident will be reviewed thoroughly," Foxx said in a statement. "I also support his effort to inspect all Taser devices and protocols related to their use."
Police didn't respond to questions about Officer Forbes' training with the Taser. They also didn't respond to questions about where Williams was struck with the Taser prongs or how long he was shocked.
On Thursday, McCarley stood by his statements about Tasers being effective in helping officers control situations.
"In the vast majority of cases, fewer officers and fewer suspects sustain any sort of physical or permanent injuries," he said, speaking of Tasers. "But the other steps available are usually hard physical contact, something like a baton. And that is much more likely to cause some type of immediate or lasting physical harm."
But Ken Harris, who has represented Turner's family since the teen's death three years ago, said Williams' death may illustrate the Taser's dangers.
"This incident is just another example of why we have been so persistent in arguing that the Taser is a lethal weapon," Harris said.
"We wanted Darryl's legacy to be a reduction in the number of deaths related to the use of Tasers. This is just another tragedy."
At Woodlawn Lynx station
On Wednesday night, Williams and a female friend were riding the Lynx line home after watching a movie at the AMC movie theater on South Boulevard, said Ariel Terry, a friend of Williams who says she dated him for a year. At some point, he got into an argument with the woman, Terry said.
At 10:39 p.m., someone called police reporting that man was beating a woman at the Woodlawn Lynx station, a raised platform along the 4700 block of Old Pineville Road, according to a police statement.
Forbes was the first officer to respond.
Monroe told reporters Forbes fired his department-issued Taser as Williams was about to strike the woman again. Forbes used the Taser "in an attempt to gain compliance," according to a police statement.
Forbes soon realized the suspect was unresponsive and radioed for paramedics.
Terry said Williams treated her well when they dated. But she did acknowledge that Williams had been previously charged with assault on a female and other crimes.
She said Williams has a 1-year-old child and two children on the way. He was attending classes at Central Piedmont Community College, she said, trying to get his graduate equivalent diploma.
Monroe told reporters that investigators are analyzing video that apparently showed what happened during the confrontation.
"A host of cameras (are) in and around the area," Monroe said. "We're going through a very methodical process analyzing the data from those cameras."
Williams' family declined to comment. The Observer's news partner, WCNC-TV, reported that they had hired a lawyer.
Largest award against maker
A day before Williams died, Darryl Turner's family was awarded $10 million after a jury found that Taser International failed to warn that the weapon could cause cardiac arrest. The award was the largest ever against the makers of the Taser. The company said it will appeal.
The city of Charlotte paid $625,000 to Turner's family in 2009, though it denied wrongdoing.
Turner died in March 2008 after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. shocked him at a Food Lion grocery store in northeast Charlotte.
Turner, who worked at the store, died from cardiac arrest. The autopsy showed the teenager's heart was pumping so fast and chaotically from the Taser shot and stress from the confrontation that it stopped pumping blood properly. The autopsy found no pre-existing heart problems.
Dawson was not charged with any crime. Prosecutors said the officer was justified in using the Taser during the confrontation with Turner, who was found with three small bags of marijuana in his socks after the incident. He was also "agitated" and threw something at a manager, police said.
Dawson was suspended for five days without pay and required to undergo additional training. After Turner's death, all officers were required to undergo more training with Tasers.
Police didn't respond to questions about Forbes' training Thursday, but under the department's training regimen, he would have completed the additional training at least twice.
Taser International must pay $10 million to the family of a Charlotte teenager who died in 2008 after being shocked by a police officer - the biggest jury award ever against the company.
The lawyers for Darryl Turner's parents said Wednesday the federal jury found that Taser International failed to warn that discharging its Taser into the chest of a suspect near the heart poses a substantial risk of cardiac arrest. The company's animal studies, they said, demonstrated the risk.
John Burton, lead counsel for Turner's parents, Devoid Turner and Tammy Lou Fontenot, said Taser International has been irresponsible in representing its product's safety.
"Hopefully, this verdict will sound the alarm to police officers around the world that firing these weapons into the chests of people should be avoided," said Burton, whose law offices are in Pasadena, Calif. "No other family should have to endure the tragedy that the Turner and Fontenot families have experienced."
Taser International sought to persuade the jury that Turner, 17, had a medical condition that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest in young adults. The company's lawyers also presented evidence about a U.S. Justice Department study, released in May, which said current research does not support a substantially increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia even if the Taser darts strike the front of the chest.
The company's lawyers intend to appeal the verdict.
Darryl Turner died in March 2008 after being shocked with a Taser by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Jerry Dawson Jr. at a Food Lion grocery store in north Charlotte.
Turner, who worked at the store, died from cardiac arrest. The autopsy showed the teenager's heart was pumping so fast and chaotically from the Taser shot and stress from the confrontation that it stopped pumping blood properly. The autopsy found no pre-existing heart problems.
Dawson was not charged with any crime. Prosecutors said the officer was justified in using the Taser during the confrontation with Turner, who was found with three small bags of marijuana in his socks after the incident. He was also "agitated" and threw something at a manager, police said.
Dawson was suspended for five days without pay and required to undergo additional training. Police said Dawson had violated policy when he shocked Turner with the Taser gun for about 37 seconds. Dawson held the trigger until Turner fell to the floor, according to police.
The city of Charlotte paid $625,000 to Turner's family in 2009, though the city denied wrongdoing. It was the largest police-related claim the city had paid out in nearly a decade.
City Attorney Mac McCarley told the Observer Wednesday that the city will continue to use Tasers.
"It is still a very effective, nonlethal force to control a situation," McCarley said.
After Turner's death, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police mandated additional training for all officers on the proper use of Tasers and other electronic control devices, said spokesman Rob Tufano.
The training "emphasized that repeated and prolonged deployment and exposure of the device is a strict violation of department policy," Tufano said. Police also trained personnel to look for other areas of the body to target with Tasers, like the lower abdomen and upper leg.
The use of Tasers by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police has decreased since 2007, when police shocked people with the devices nearly 140 times. In 2008, that number had dropped to about 120 and in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, police deployed Tasers fewer than 80 times.
The Stallings Police Department in January abandoned the use of Tasers to reduce its liability risk.
Taser International, in a statement on its website about Tuesday's verdict, said there's been only one other adverse jury verdict against the company. That was for more than $7 million in 2008. Taser International appealed, and the verdict was reduced to about $200,000, the statement said.
"This was a sad and tragic incident, and our hearts go out to Mr. Turner's family," Doug Klint, Taser International's president and general counsel, said in a statement.
"We can certainly understand how the jury felt deep compassion for Mr. Turner's family, and how this compassion may have overwhelmed the scientific evidence presented in this case. However, given the important nature of this case and the exclusion of key evidence that occurred, Taser International intends to appeal this verdict."
Taser International said U.S. District Judge Bob Conrad didn't allow the jury to hear evidence that Darryl Turner had three baggies of marijuana in his sock during the incident. The company said a screen for marijuana and other drugs was not performed at the autopsy or before the lab destroyed the teenager's blood evidence.
Taser International said the judge also did not instruct the jury on contributory negligence. Under N.C. law, the company said, if plaintiffs act in a negligent manner that contributes to their damages, they are barred from recovering damages from a third party.
The statement said the company's lawyers believe Turner's behavior at the grocery store was negligent and "necessitated the use of force by police."
Police were called to the store where Turner worked after the store manager had asked him to leave and he refused, according to court documents.
Store surveillance video showed Turner at the customer service desk, knocking over a display and throwing an umbrella. He then moved closer to a store manager and employee, at one point raising his arm and pointing at the manager.
Later, the soundless video shows Officer Dawson entering the store with a Taser in his hand. Turner took a step toward the officer, and police say that's when Dawson fired the Taser. Turner continued to walk past the officer with the Taser probes in his chest.
Taser International said its insurance will pay about $6 million of the award if the company is not successful on its appeal.
Charlotte attorney Ken Harris, who represents Turner's parents, said: "This has been a long and difficult journey for the family. We have consistently stated that no judgment would be sufficient to compensate the family relative to Darryl's loss.
"We are very happy with this benchmark result and the impact that it may have ... concerning the use of the Taser."
In the minutes after Demeatrius Montgomery was found Guilty and sentenced to two terms of life in prison, there was an extraordinary scene in the hallway outside of the courtroom.
Montgomery's father hugged first one, then both of the fathers of murdered police officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton.
Minutes earlier, Shelton's father, John was given the opportunity to speak in court before Montgomery was sentenced.
As Montgomery stared straight ahead, John Shelton said of him, "His family will get to see him in prison. If I want to see my son, I have to go to Sharon Memorial Garden and look at a grave."
A jury deliberated for two hours on Wednesday and for most of the day Thursday before returning the verdict of guilty on two counts of first-degree murder.
Montgomery was sentenced to two life terms without parole that will run consecutively.
After the sentencing, District Attorney Peter Gilchrist said, "I think to know that this man will never be back out again may be, realistically, the most anybody could hope for."
Police Chief Rodney Monroe said, "Having the prosecution put forth the case that they did really has brought justice, not only to the families but to an entire community."
Shelton and Clark never had time to draw their own weapons before they were gunned down at the Timber Ridge Apartment complex on March 31, 2007.
But Chief Monroe said the right man is going to prison. "I believe that the evidence that we had 3 1/2 years ago, it hasn't changed. It was solid then and it was solid throughout this case."
An expert couldn't say for sure Friday that the DNA of a man suspected of killing two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers is on the murder weapon.
The 13th day of testimony in the murder trial of Demeatrius Montgomery got under way Friday morning with John Donahue on the stand.
Donahue performed the tests on the gun when he worked for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg crime lab.
He testified that he couldn't exclude Montgomery's DNA from being on the gun because he found DNA from multiple people.
Donahue confirmed that DNA from Officer Jeff Shelton was found on the weapon, indicating there was a struggle.
Shelton and Officer Sean Clark were shot to death at the Timber Ridge apartments in 2007. Montgomery was arrested soon after the shooting. Witnesses have testified seeing him running from the scene.
If convicted, Montgomery is facing life in prison. A judge took the death penalty off the table early in the case because an investigator mishandled case notes.
So The Life Of A Young Black Man These Days Has Been Reduced To $200,000 In Federal Dollars!
Let's See Nick Mahone Was Killed Last Friday.
Than Early This Afternoon CMPD Receives A $200,000 Crime Fighting, Anti-Gang Grant?
Something Smells "Fishy" To Me.
Nick Mahone A Rumored Charlotte, NC Drug Dealer Was Killed Last Friday At A Popular, Uptown Charlotte Club.
This Entertainment Establishment Was Not Some "Hole In The Wall" Kind Of Establishment.
It Was A Very Nice Club Located In The Heart Of Uptown Charlotte With Tight Security.
So How Was A Young Black Woman According To Other Patrons Who Witnessed The Incident, Allowed To Walk In With A Handgun & Blow Nick's Brains Out In Plain View & Than Allowed To Walk Calmly Out Past Security Guards?
Easy It Was A Set Up! A Hit!
Possibly With The FBI's & Charlotte City Officials Involvement.
Nick's Death Made Major Headlines & Sent A Message Throughout The Charlotte Community.
However Almost Immediately Upon Learning Of His Death Many White & Black Citizens Began Celebrating!
How Sad.
I'm NOT Celebrating!
Why?
1) He Was Still Someone's Son.
2) I Believe He Wanted To Get Out Which Is Probably The Reason Why He Was Killed. His Death Sent A Message To Others.
3) There Have Been More Young, Black Men Who Were "Rumored" Drug Dealers, Killed In Charlotte This Year Than In 20 Years!
4) Since Charlotte Now Has A Black Mayor & A Black Police Chief, To Have So Many Young Black Men Killed In One Year Reeks Of Possible Local Law Enforcement, FBI & CIA Involvement.
Wake Up Black People!
Is This Is A Coincidence?
I Don't Think So But I Could Be Wrong.
Please Understand That I Don't Condone Drug Trafficking, Abusing Illegal Drugs Or Coddling Rumored Drug Dealers.
Neither Do I Condone Black Leaders Who Possibly Conspire With Feds To Kill Off Young Black Men & Women.
God Exposed The Truth Last Month When Local Media Revealed That North Carolina's SBI Lab Was Corrupt. Especially As It Relates To Tampering With Evidence, Including DNA Tests.
Now Nick Mahone. Who's Next?
Might I Remind You That Charlotte Has A Black Mayor & Black Mayor Pro Tem?
So Sad.
Don't Forget To Not Re-Elect Most Of Charlotte's Current City Council Members In 2011.
The No Re-Elect List Includes: Mayor Anthony Foxx, Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon, David Howard, James Mitchell, Warren, Turner, Nancy Carter, Patsy Kinsey & Edwin Peacock.
Check Out The Related Articles Below.
By The Way You Can Still Read My Daily Commentary By Visiting My Facebook Page.
Charlotte has landed a $200,000 federal grant to boost the city’s crime-fighting programs among youth.
The U.S. Justice Department announced the grant Tuesday, saying it was awarded through a congressional program designed to help combat juvenile crime and assist its victims.
Charlotte officials say they will use the money to continue Anti-Truancy programs that target students. Those include the Gang of One, Truancy Court, and other community projects. Gang of One is a gang prevention initiative of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, in partnership with other local agencies. Truancy Court is a school-based program that targets families of students with high numbers of absences from school.
Community impact projects will include the Police Athletic League, the McCrorey YMCA, and Right Moves for Youth.
Witnesses say a woman calmly walked up to Dominic Nicholas Mahone while he was dancing on the floor of an uptown Charlotte club early Friday, pulled out a gun and shot him twice.
Mahone, 25, died several hours later, leaving friends and police with plenty of questions and not many answers.
The shooting happened during a private party at the Breakfast Club, a popular nightspot at North Caldwell and East Sixth streets.
Police say they aren't sure what provoked the shooting. Friends of Mahone said they don't know how the shooter managed to get past security guards with a handgun.
"This didn't appear to be a case of something that happened in the club," said Capt. Jeff Estes, commander of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Central Division, which oversees the uptown area.
Police said later Friday they weren't sure if the shooting might have resulted from some type of domestic dispute between Mahone and the female shooter.
What they know is that the woman walked up to Mahone and, without apparent provocation, shot him in the head. Mahone was taken by Medic to Carolinas Medical Center, where he died shortly before 9:30 a.m.
A friend of the victim, Nakeya Land, told WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, that she can't understand how the woman managed to bring the gun inside.
"They pat me down head to toe, so how does she find some way to get into the club with a gun?" Land said.
The club's owner was not available Friday afternoon, but an employee said the club had been rented out for a private party. The Breakfast Club is a popular site for bachelor parties and other similar events.
"We don't have many problems here," said the employee, asking not to be identified. "I've been here several years, and our problems are usually a fender-bender in the parking lot. This was something we don't see."
The employee said he expects security will be tightened at the club, but he said people who rent the club for private parties sometimes provide their own guards. It is not clear who was responsible for hiring guards at the party early Friday.
Witnesses told police the shooter was accompanied by two men, and they drove off in a royal blue Chevrolet with custom rims.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 704-432-TIPS, or information can be left with Crime Stoppers.
The North Carolina justice system shook Wednesday as an audit commissioned by Attorney General Roy Cooper revealed that the State Bureau of Investigation withheld or distorted evidence in more than 200 cases at the expense of potentially innocent men and women.
The full impact of the disclosure will reverberate for years to come as prosecutors and defense attorneys re-examine cases as much as two decades old to figure out whether these errors robbed defendants of justice. Some of the injustices can be addressed as attorneys bring old cases back to court. For others, it's too late: Three of the defendants in botched cases have been executed.
"This report is troubling," said Cooper, who oversees the SBI. "It describes a practice that should have been unacceptable then and is not acceptable now."
The revelation came after a five-month review in which two former FBI agents pulled dusty case files from shelves to find the truths that analysts chose to keep to themselves.
Two former FBI agents, Chris Swecker and Mike Wolf, examined more than 15,000 cases at the invitation of Cooper, a Democrat who has been attorney general since 2001. The exoneration of Greg Taylor, a Wake County man imprisoned 17 years for a murder he didn't commit, prompted the review. SBI analyst Duane Deaver admitted in February that he failed to report tests indicating a substance on Taylor's SUV was not blood. Deaver, who was suspended Wednesday, said that his bosses told him to write reports that way.
He was telling the truth. Swecker determined that the practice of not reporting results of more sophisticated blood tests was sanctioned by some analysts. In 1997, it became written policy. That policy remained in effect as recently as 2003.
Swecker said his findings signal potential violations of the U.S. Constitution and North Carolina laws by withholding information favorable to defendants. Swecker stopped short of determining whether the hidden results affected guilt or innocence in the cases he examined; often there was other evidence in the cases that linked defendants to the crimes. Still, the withheld information could have made a difference in the sentences handed down.
"This is mind-boggling," said veteran Wayne County District Attorney Branny Vickory, a Democrat. "It is really a nightmare for everyone. I don't know how we are going to make this right."
The audit is another black eye for a beleaguered SBI.
The News & Observer reported this month in a series, "Agents' Secrets," that analysts across the laboratory push past the accepted bounds of science to deliver results pleasing to prosecutors. They are out of step with the larger scientific community and have fought defense attorneys' requests for additional information needed to review the SBI's work. Cooper last month dismissed SBI Director Robin Pendergraft after she struggled to answer questions about SBI cases and policies.
"This is such a damning indictment on the SBI," said Staples Hughes, the state appellate defender, whose office oversees appeals of all defendants convicted by juries. "Why didn't they just say 'we lied.' That's what they did. Sadly, I'm not surprised."
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are scrambling to review the 230 problem cases cited in Swecker's report. At least 80 defendants are still in prison, a top priority for Prisoner Legal Services, said executive director Mary Pollard.
No Rules, Bad Science
Swecker's report paints a picture of a renegade unit at the SBI crime lab acting without rules and with misguided notions about the science behind blood analysis.
In serology, police use rudimentary presumptive tests at crime scenes to determine where blood might be. Those tests are fallible, prone to giving false positives. So analysts depend on more sophisticated, confirmatory tests to determine whether a substance is, in fact, blood.
Before 1997, the serology unit operated without report-writing guidelines. Analysts set their own criteria until 1997; that policy sanctioned the practice of not reporting negative or inconclusive results of confirmatory tests.
Swecker found policies and practices out of step with the rules of serology. They were also far afield of fairness, according to the report.
"There was anecdotal evidence that some Analysts were not objective in their mindset," Swecker wrote.
Tests used to confirm the presence of blood never yield "inconclusive results," Swecker noted. Two analysts interviewed for the report told Swecker that despite volumes of warnings about the potential for false positives on presumptive blood tests, they didn't believe it because they had not gotten a positive result when testing plant material and bacteria known to signal false positives. Those two analysts believed that positive presumptive tests were absolute indications of blood.
Eight analysts were involved in these bad practices. Some are dead; a few are retired.
Four still work for the SBI, and another performs contract work for the agency.
Behind the five cases Swecker deemed most problematic: Deaver, a 23-year veteran of the agency.
New SBI Director Greg McLeod suspended Deaver on Wednesday, pending further investigation.
"An Abomination"
The cost of these errors was tough for lawyers to comprehend Wednesday.
"This report reveals staggering lack of competence at the lab," said Mike Klinkosum, a Raleigh lawyer who represented Taylor in February and helped discover Deaver's withheld test results. "It's an abomination of the criminal justice system and an affront to all the decent law enforcement officers out there doing their jobs."
Cooper delivered copies of the report and a list of affected cases to district attorneys across the state little more than an hour before announcing his findings to the public.
At least one met the findings with anger.
"We've been out here asserting things as fact that just weren't," said John Snyder, district attorney of Union County. "Now, when I've got jurors coming in, I've got to enter into a whole line of questioning I never should have been forced to do. They won't trust us."
Snyder, a Republican , called for an independent audit of the entire crime lab.
On Wednesday, Cooper promised a more independent review would follow and that McLeod, the new director, would bring in experts.
"The lab cannot accept a lack of thoroughness," Cooper said. "It cannot accept attitudes that are not open to the possibility that a mistake has been made. It cannot ignore criticism and suggestions from the outside."
Welcome to the BLACK POLITICAL BUZZ Blog. (Established 2008)
My name is Laurel. (Author & Publisher)
I Blog with a focus on POLITICS, Business, and occasionally Entertainment.
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