Witness: New Orleans cops shot man in back as he ran away

[Judi Lynn]

Witness: New Orleans cops shot man in back as he ran away
POSTED: 4:49 p.m. EST, December 18, 2006

By Drew Griffin, James Polk and Kate Albright-Hanna
CNN

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans police lined up "like at a firing range" and fatally shot an unarmed man in the back as he fled from them in the days after Hurricane Katrina swept ashore, a witness to the shooting told CNN.

It marks the first time a witness has come forward publicly with information about the shooting of Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man whose death has sparked a police investigation and a grand jury probe into what happened in and around the Danziger Bridge that day.

"He just fell like he was collapsing," Kasimir Gaston told CNN. "Like something just wiped him out."

Gaston was one of many flood refugees living on the second floor of the Friendly Inn, a low-income motel on the city's east side. On Sunday, September 4 of last year, he says he woke up and stepped onto the balcony of the motel and saw a man running, hands outstretched and being fired upon.
(snip/...)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/18/nopd.shooting/index.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earlier version of the story:

Katrina autopsy: Police shot mentally disabled man in back
By James Polk, Drew Griffin and Kate Albright-Hanna
CNN

Tuesday, May 23, 2006; Posted: 11:03 a.m. EDT (15:03 GMT)

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Autopsy results obtained by CNN show a mentally disabled man was shot in the back when he was killed by New Orleans police in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

This contradicts testimony by a police sergeant that the victim had turned toward officers and was reaching into his waistband when shot.

"Clearly he was shot from behind," said famed New York pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, who examined the body for the family's lawyer. (Watch where the man died and details of the autopsy -- 5:04)
(snip)

Ronald Madison, 40, was mentally disabled and lived at home with his mother. He had no criminal record. He was shot when police responded to a report of gunfire on a bridge over the flooded Industrial Canal on Sunday, September 4, six days after Katrina hit New Orleans last year.
(snip)

Madison's older brother, Lance, said he and Ronald were walking across the Danziger bridge toward another brother's dental office when teen-agers ran up behind him and opened fire that Sunday morning.
(snip/...)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/22/katrina.shotinback/index.html

[ReadTomPaine]

1. Nothing to see here.

Move along.

[Pastiche423]

2. An innocent man was shot in the back FIVE times

and his brother who went searching for help, was arrested and spent SIX months in jail because police officers, wanting to save their hides LIED!

If there is any justice in our country, I hope any and all police officers that shot Ronald will be charged w/murder.

[Cant_wait_for_2008]

3. That will happen, when?? Amadou Diallo is still dead and no cop in jail

You honestly think anyone is going to go to prison on this ??

Sean Bell is still dead and no NYPD officer is ever going to go to prison for that mans death either.

Get over it. The police are not here to protect you at all if you are Black.

[ThomCat]

4. Unfortunately, that's all very true.

And they're not here to protect some of us who are white either.

They're here to maintain a certain kind of order, and it's a very bigoted, unequal kind of order that mostly benefits a few.
x(

[Pastiche423]

6. Get over it?

Hell no, I'm not going to get over it. I will scream all I want over injustices.

Btw, you don't have to be black to know that most police are not here to protect any one of us, no matter the color. (Although the police do go after blacks in a disproportionate number.)

[Moloch]

5. Unfortunately NOPD has been doing stuff like this for years

and years. Its quite possibly the most corrupt police force on the country.

[Melynn]

7. That was my thought when I read this story

Didn't a bunch of NO cops get indicted a couple of years before Katrina?

[Moloch]

8. Yes.

NOPD cops have killed people. Its a really disturbing situation and apparently it isn't getting any better.

Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoinette_Frank

Unfortunately, there have been several incidents like that.

[slackmaster]

9. NOPD = Not Our Problem, Dude

:nuke: