Deaths and Injuries in Police Custody

[Andrea]

NYPD Cop Indicted For Falsely Arresting Man Who Recorded Him

http://gothamist.com/2015/12/22/cop_watch_season_2_the_reckoning.php

Manhattan prosecutors have done something rare indeed: indicted a cop for allegedly falsely arresting someone and lying about it. NYPD Officer Jonathan Munoz, 32, was arraigned this morning on two felony charges of filing false reports, and three misdemeanor charges of official misconduct and false statements.

"Had this officer’s attempts to conceal his alleged misconduct succeeded, an innocent man may still be facing charges for a fabricated crime," Manhattan DA Cy Vance said in a statement.

Munoz's prosecution stems from his role in arresting Jason Disisto, then 21, in the spring of 2014. From our report this April:

Disisto was standing outside of a Puerto Rican restaurant around 1 a.m. when he saw Officer Jonathan Munoz reaching into his friend's pocket. Disisto asked a friend to give him his phone so he could record, but as he lined up the shot, Munoz spotted him and rushed over to grab him. A brief struggle for the phone ensued, with two other officers joining in, and it ended with Disisto in cuffs in the back of a police car.

Before the officers drove away, one threw the cellphone out the window.

[Andrea]

Baltimore County officer placed on administrative duty as second video of Towson arrest surfaces

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/towson/bs-md-co-towson-arrest-folo-20151222-story.html

A Baltimore County police officer was placed on administrative duty Tuesday, three days after a video began circulating of him repeatedly punching a 19-year-old man during an arrest in Towson early Saturday, officials said.

A second video that emerged Tuesday showed two police officers struggling to take down Zachary Blumenstein, with one of the officers grabbing him by the back of the neck and punching him at least five times in the face as he resisted.

Blumenstein was also pepper-sprayed twice before being handcuffed and charged with resisting arrest, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, trespass and failure to obey a police officer, county police have said.

[Andrea]

Dearborn cop fatally shoots unarmed suspect in Detroit

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2015/12/23/detroit-shooting/77835932/

The off-duty officer — who has reportedly only been on the Dearborn Police Department for a few years — spotted the 34-year-old man suspected of a larceny from a few days ago.

The officer tried to stop the suspect who then ran.

According to the source, the officer and suspect got into a wrestling match before the suspect broke free and ran again. The officer caught up with him and tried to subdue him with pepper spray.

The suspect then reportedly tried to grab the officer’s weapon, at which point he was shot by the officer, according to the source.

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad confirmed the suspect was wanted for a misdemeanor warrant out of Redford Township, near Dearborn’s border with Detroit.

There was a brief chase on foot and a struggle leading to the fatal shooting, Haddad said.

The officer was taken to the hospital, Haddad said.

The officer is white and the suspect was black. Police did not release the name of the man nor information about the officer.

Bolding mine

[Andrea]

Sanctions likely in controversial police shooting case
Black teen’s shooting by white officer typified many AJC findings about fatal police shootings in Georgia.

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/crime-law/sanctions-likely-in-controversial-police-shooting-/nprLz/

Waiters, who was black, was both unarmed and shot in the back. The 19-year-old ran when police arrived to break up a neighborhood fight he’d been watching, and was already lying face down on the ground with one arm handcuffed when Lewis shot him twice in the back. The teen hadn’t committed a crime.

[Andrea]

Chicago Cop Shoots Dead Teen, 56-Year-Old Woman

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chicago-cop-fatally-shoots-mentally-ill-teen-56-year-old-woman_567ecb6ae4b014efe0d850f6?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg 00000067

A Chicago officer responding to a domestic disturbance call fatally shot a teenager being treated for a mental illness, along with a 56-year-old woman.

A second victim, who has been identified only as a 56-year-old woman, was a downstairs tenant and bystander. The woman's daughter, Latisha Jones, told the Tribune she found her mother dead with a gunshot wound to her neck.

[Andrea]

Phoenix police shoot and kill man accused of hurling rocks at officers

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/phoenix-police-shoot-and-kill-man-accused-of-hurling-rocks-at-officers/

Arizona police shot and killed a man who they say attacked an officer with a rock on Saturday morning, AZCentral reports.

The man, described only as white and about 30 years old, began hurling rocks at a police officer leaving a Phoenix Police Department precinct station, Sgt. Jonathan Howard told reporters. After the officer called for back-up, the man began throwing rocks at the police precinct.

The man shattered a door with a rock and threw a rock at an officer who was coming out of the building.

[Jesse]

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Officers in Tamir Rice Case
by CORKY SIEMASZKO and DANIELLA SILVA

The fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by two Cleveland cops was a "perfect storm of human error" but not a crime, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor announced Monday...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...l_nbn_20151228

[Andrea]

Originally Posted by Jesse

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Officers in Tamir Rice Case
by CORKY SIEMASZKO and DANIELLA SILVA

The fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by two Cleveland cops was a "perfect storm of human error" but not a crime, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor announced Monday...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...l_nbn_20151228

How many times will they victimize this child and his family?? I am beyond angry.

[Jesse]

Even though the court refused to indict the officers involved today, I think they opened themselves up to the family suing via civil court.

Originally Posted by Andrea

How many times will they victimize this child and his family?? I am beyond angry.

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by Andrea

Chicago Cop Shoots Dead Teen, 56-Year-Old Woman

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chicago-cop-fatally-shoots-mentally-ill-teen-56-year-old-woman_567ecb6ae4b014efe0d850f6?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg 00000067

A Chicago officer responding to a domestic disturbance call fatally shot a teenager being treated for a mental illness, along with a 56-year-old woman.

A second victim, who has been identified only as a 56-year-old woman, was a downstairs tenant and bystander. The woman's daughter, Latisha Jones, told the Tribune she found her mother dead with a gunshot wound to her neck.

Andrea, I read an article published yesterday (?) concerning the same incident. I read that Quintonio was an engineering student at an Illinois college, a foster child, that he was experiencing trauma from a past traumatic event in his life before his foster family took him in. Quintonio's foster dad called the police, hoping they could help somehow, but instead of helping, responding officers shot and killed both Quentino and his foster mother. By mistake. How could it be a mistake?

Quintonio had a loving foster family that cared about him, was trying to give him a better chance at life than the sad life he was rescued from by his foster parents.

It's heartbreaking. It makes me angry and sad, too.

http://rollingout.com/2015/12/27/chi...other-mistake/

[Andrea]

The Death Philly Cops Won’t Explain: Is Omar Lopez the Next Freddie Gray?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/30/the-death-philly-cops-won-t-explain-is-omar-lopez-the-next-freddie-gray.html

The city’s transit authority won’t release video showing what turned a peaceful encounter into a deadly one after a cop tased a man who then lost consciousness in his car.

PHILADEPHIA — This Christmas the family of Omar Lopez placed a small toy tree at a gravestone to honor their son who was killed in mysterious circumstances by police this fall.

Lopez, 24, died following an altercation with a transit officer in October. More than eight weeks later, his family is no closer to understanding the circumstances surrounding Lopez’s death. Despite public officials’ recent parades of claims that transparency is a priority, so far city officials are being of no help to the Lopez family in their search for answers.

[Andrea]

Cop savagely beats Hawaiian man after he performs native ‘healing prayer’ near seal on the beach

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/cop-savagely-beats-hawaiian-man-after-he-performs-native-healing-prayer-near-seal-on-the-beach/

A police officer, and the city that employs him, after the cop savagely beat him for praying next to a sun-bathing Hawaiian monk seal on the beach.

According to Courthouse News, Jamie Kalani Rice was on Nanakuli beach on Sept. 10, 2014, when he approached a seal laying on the sand, believing it to be injured or dying. Rice then sat about ten feet away from the seal, chanting and rubbing sand between his hands and on his body as part of a ritual prayer.

[Andrea]

Denver Inmate's Death At Hands Of Deputies Ruled A Homicide

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michael-marshall-homicide_569002c0e4b0c8beacf6d9db?section=politics

On Nov. 11, 2015, deputies at the Denver jail forcibly restrained a man who was experiencing a psychotic episode. When the man became unresponsive, he was sent to a nearby hospital, where he was put on life support and died nine days later.

The man, 50-year-old Michael Marshall, was originally arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and trespassing at a motel where he had been staying.

Now, nearly two months after the fact, Marshall's death has been ruled a homicide.

A report released Friday by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner concludes that Marshall died from "complications of positional asphyxia to include aspiration pneumonia due to being physically restrained by law enforcement during an acute psychotic episode."

In other words, Marshall vomited during the incident, and law enforcement officers restrained him in such a manner that he choked on it, going without oxygen for 10 to 15 minutes, his family members told ABC7. Marshall also went into cardiac arrest.

[Andrea]

New Video Appears To Show Exonerated Cop Shooting Handcuffed Man

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/matthew-taylor-james-barker-video_56915b38e4b0a2b6fb7056df

Authorities are reopening their investigation into an exonerated Utah police officer's fatal shooting of a suspect after newly discovered video appears to show the officer pumping several rounds into the suspect as he lies handcuffed on the ground.

[Andrea]

Ex-Las Vegas police officer indicted on federal civil rights violation

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/ex-las-vegas-police-officer-indicted-federal-civil-rights-violation

A former Las Vegas police officer was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on felony charges of roughing up a woman he suspected was a prostitute.

Richard Scavone, 49, was charged with violating the civil rights of the woman when he used excessive force while arresting her in January 2015 and falsifying his report of the encounter to obstruct an FBI investigation, according to the Justice Department.

The woman was identified in the indictment only by her initials, A.O.

Scavone, who also faces a local misdemeanor battery charge in the incident, has been summoned to answer the two felony counts in federal court on Jan. 20. He is to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court that day, as well.

According to the indictment, Scavone, while acting under color of law, handcuffed the woman on Jan. 6, 2015, and assaulted her several times.

He grabbed the woman around her neck and threw her to the ground, struck her in the forehead with an open palm, slammed her face into the hood of his patrol car two times and slammed her into the door of his car, the indictment alleges.

The actions resulted in "bodily injury" to the woman, the indictment alleges.

Scavone also falsified a use-of-force report about his confrontation with the woman, according to the indictment.

Authorities last year said Scavone was wearing a body camera during the scuffle, but police have not made the recording public.

Scavone had stopped a woman about 5 a.m. near Tropicana Avenue and Interstate 15, where he said she was loitering and trying to solicit work as a prostitute, according to authorities.

His supervisors concluded his use of force was "excessive" and "unreasonable," Undersheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters after the district attorney's office filed criminal charges in March.

The woman was charged with littering and loitering, but those charges were dismissed, McMahill said.

Scavone was initially put on paid administrative leave after he was charged last year, but police on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a request to explain his departure from the department.

The federal case was investigated by the Las Vegas FBI and is being prosecuted jointly by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., and the Nevada U.S. attorney's office.

[homoe]

Who in the world is training hospital staff and police officers these days! Has common sense gone right out the door?

[Andrea]

3 Baltimore officers charged in alleged assault on juvenile

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-officers-charged-20160114-story.html

Three Baltimore officers have been charged in an alleged assault on a juvenile at Sinai Hospital a year ago, police announced Thursday.

Officer Duane Williams Jr., a seven-year veteran assigned to the Northwest District, was charged with second-degree child abuse, second-degree assault and misconduct in office, police said. He has been suspended without pay.

Officer Bijay Ranabhat, a two-year veteran, was charged with misconduct in office and suspended with pay.

Officer Lonnie White Jr., who has been with the department for two years, was charged with perjury and misconduct in office and suspended with pay.

"Misconduct by police officers is an insult to the good and noble work our police officers do every hour," Commissioner Kevin Davis said in a statement.

Police said the assault occurred Jan. 14, 2015. Further details were not released, and court records were not immediately available.

Prosecutors have declined to comment, citing the pending cases.

The department's internal affairs division was notified of the incident last January, police said.

An indictment against two of the officers was handed up Wednesday, police said; the other officer was charged on a criminal summons.

"The union has not been given enough information to comment," said Lt. Gene Ryan, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, which represents Baltimore officers.

This week, the Police Department announced a restructuring of its internal affairs unit, a move that Davis said will improve the ability to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing.

"I will defend cops when they're right. I will train and counsel cops when they make mistakes while trying to do the right thing," Davis said Tuesday. "And if I have to, I will discipline, fire, criminally charge police officers who betray their fellow officers and our community."

[Andrea]

Attorney says video disputes police account of shooting

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-mouzon-police-shooting-lawsuit-20160114-story.html

The lawyer for a man shot by Baltimore police three years ago is claiming a new video shows that officers lied about the circumstances that led up to the shooting.

When police officers shot Shaun Mouzon in January 2013, an officer wrote in charging documents that they did so because Mouzon had driven his car at them. But attorney A. Dwight Pettit said surveillance camera video he obtained from the city under a public records request tells a different story.

"The car was stopped in traffic," Pettit said. "The allegation that their lives were in danger by the movement of the car is absolutely ridiculous and is an absolute misstatement of the facts."

The video, also obtained by The Baltimore Sun through a records request, shows Mouzon's vehicle pulling into traffic at a stoplight on Edmondson Avenue, with several officers following in an unmarked patrol car, their lights activated.

Officers run up to the driver's and passenger sides. It is unclear when the officers begin firing, but none appear to be standing directly in front of the car as it slowly pulls off and then flees the area.

Pettit said he believes the video shows officers firing even before the vehicle starts to move.

Mouzon eventually crashed his vehicle several blocks away. Police found no weapon, but nevertheless Mouzon was charged with two handgun-related counts. All charges were eventually dropped.

[Andrea]

Alabama ex-cop acquitted of slamming, paralyzing Indian grandfather

https://www.rt.com/usa/329006-alabama-police-indian-national/

After two previous mistrials, a federal judge has acquitted former police officer Eric Parker, who was charged with violating a Indian citizen's civil rights after throwing him to the ground and partially paralyzing him during a sidewalk stop last year.

In February 2015, Parker, who was responding to a call about a "skinny black guy" walking suspiciously in a Madison, Alabama, neighborhood, encountered non-English speaking Indian national Sureshbhai Patel, who was walking near his son's house. Police dashcam video captured Parker slamming the grandfather, then 57, to the ground, leaving him partially paralyzed.

[Andrea]

Westlake cop accused of punching, choking man during interrogation, new court filing says

http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/index.ssf/2016/01/westlake_cop_accused_of_punchi.html

According to the filing:

Toth and another officer went to T.A.'s apartment building in Cleveland on April 24, 2014. The officers wanted to talk to T.A. about a guns and firearms investigation, and he took the officers to another unit because his girlfriend was sleeping.

T.A. sat down and Toth, who was standing, started interrogating him. Getting angry because he wasn't getting the answers that he wanted, Toth punched T.A. in the face, threw him ground and kicked him in the ribs.

He then handcuffed T.A. and took him suspect to his SUV and and restrained him with a seat belt. As he drove, Toth continued to question T.A. and got even more agitated when he didn't hear what he wanted.

Toth told T.A. that he was going to take him to cemetery and put him in the ground. He also said he would kill T.A.'s dog.

Toth then drove T.A. to a cemetery in Rocky River and wrapped a seat belt around his neck.

As a result, T.A. had open wounds in his mouth, bruises on his face and body and scratches on his neck.