Little Rock shooting: fresh testimony casts doubt on police account

[friendly_iconoclast]

Source: Guardian (UK)

...But the Guardian has learned of new testimony from another police officer who witnessed the shooting, which has cast doubt on Lesher's account and raised important questions over the original police inquiry and the county prosecutor's subsequent decision to rule the shooting justified.

In his testimony to lawyers for Ellison's sons, Vincent Lucio, one of four officers present when Ellison was shot, said he did not believe Ellison posed a deadly threat, according to the documents seen by the Guardian.

Lucio maintains that all of the officers, including Lesher, were outside Ellison's apartment when she fired inside his apartment at him – in apparent violation of the Little Rock police department's own rules on the use of deadly force.

LRPD general order 303 forbids officers from firing inside a building "unless the officer or someone else is drawing deadly fire and the suspect can be identified and is clearly visible"...


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/06/little-rock-shooting-testimony-police-account

[friendly_iconoclast]

1. There's more- check this out from the Arkansas Times:

http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/doorbusters/Content?oid=2561339

...The most interesting part of the partial deposition — and possibly the most instructive, if you're a citizen of Little Rock — might be Officer Lesher's without-hesitation reply to what she'd have done if Ellison had simply closed the door in her face. Namely, call in the SWAT team. From the deposition, with Ellison family attorney Michael J. Laux asking the questions:

LAUX: Isn't it true that the reason that you walked in Mr. Ellison's apartment is because you thought he was going to shut the door on you and Tabitha McCrillis?

LESHER: Yes.

LAUX: What would you have done if Mr. Ellison had gotten up off the couch, walked to his front door, and shut his front door on the two of you as you stood out on the concrete walkway?

LESHER: I would have called for SWAT.

LAUX: You would have called for SWAT?

LESHER: Yes.

LAUX: What would be the purpose of calling the SWAT team?

LESHER: I didn't know what was wrong with him.

LAUX: Why are you assuming there's something wrong with him? Is it just his open shirt and the twitching?

LESHER: It's the whole — whole picture.

LAUX: Let me ask you this question —

LESHER: I wanted to know what was going on in that apartment.

LAUX: Let me ask you this question, and it's just a straight-up question. Didn't Mr. Ellison have the legal right to shut his front door on the both of you if that's what he wanted to do?

LESHER: Yes.

LAUX: So you're saying that if he had exercised his legal right to shut his door on the two of you, he would have had to deal with a SWAT team showing up moments later?

LESHER: Yes.

[teddyhcraig]

2. Police unload 137 bullets into UNARMED suspects after pursuit in East Cleveland; 2 dead...

So lets look at the facts...

1. 137 bullets were fired; and, some of them into their own cars!
2. 13-28 Officers were shooting; and, as I said, some of them missed! And, by missed, I mean that they accidentally shot their own cars!
3. There were 2 suspects; one man and one woman.
4. They found zero guns in the suspects vehicle.
5. There was zero evidence of the suspects shooting at them!
6. Zero of the officers will get into any trouble, for this, most likely!

I support good police officers! But these don't sound like good ones!

[evdebbs]

3. Needed...PIGS

Are you a sociopath, a racist, a thug, a bully? Do you thrive on abusing power? Are you dishonest as the day is long? Do you like donuts and coffee. Become a cop.
Benefits: free brown shirts, unlimited paid vacations (just murder someone...preferably a minority. We call it paid administrative leave).

[ROBROX]

4. POLICE NUTS IN UNIFORMS

There are definitely cities in this country which give to much power to people who do not know what to do when they have to THINK.

I hope this person who closed their door becomes VERY rich because of the confusion which seems perfectly legal to CLOSE A DOOR without breaking a law...