POLICE BRUTALITY CASES: WALTER SCOTT MURDER & MORE

[BigMark]

GIFSoup

[HairOfTheDog]

Just keep widening that lead, Biggie. You're a real rebel.

Back to the case...

At least 600 jury summonses were mailed to Avoyelles Parish residents, according to a statement made during a recent hearing by 12^th Judicial Court Judge William Bennett. Three hundred will report to the Avoyelles Parish Courthouse on Monday, and another 300 on Tuesday.

The most security in the courthouse’s history was in place Monday morning with a show of force of the first time use of barricades to control access to the east parking area. In addition to more sheriff’s deputies, state troopers were also brought in to help with security.

District Judge Billy Bennett denied a defense motion to postpone the trial, saying both sides have had ample time to prepare for the trial.

Stafford is accused of the 2^nd degree murder of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis and the attempted 2^nd degree murder of Mardis’ father, Chris Few, following a traffic stop in Marksville on Nov. 3, 2015.

(continued)

[HairOfTheDog]

^ Stafford (left) and co-defendant Norris Greenhouse Jr. (right) were working as Marksville, Louisiana deputy marshals at the time of the incident.

Defense attorneys Johnathan Goins and Chris Lacour asked that the trial be delayed to give them time to prepare a defense against an expert witness for the state that they said they were unaware of until this past Friday.

The Attorney General’s prosecutor said the witness was hired to counter recent claims by the defense that officer Kenneth Parnell may also have fired at Few’s vehicle that night.

The prosecutor said the defense was aware of the scene investigation diagrams but did not raise an issue until just recently.

Six jurors were chosen today. Attorneys need to seat 12 regular jurors and 2 alternates.

Refs:
http://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/20.../98852342/
https://www.avoyellestoday.com/news/six-...rder-trial

[HairOfTheDog]

Here's the video of the shooting of Chris Few and his son Jeremy Mardis, once the officer with a body cam arrived on the scene.

The judge has allowed it into evidence at trial.

Warning: It's difficult to watch, especially the discovery of Jeremy in the car, way too long after the shooting. That little boy was bleeding to death for quite some time before any of the officers checked on him and discovered he had a faint pulse.

[HairOfTheDog]

One of the cocksuckers that did this went on trial today

Yesterday, the jury convicted Stafford of the manslaughter of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis and the attempted manslaughter of Jeremy's father Chris Few. He will be sentenced next week.

His partner and co-defendant Greenhouse is awaiting trial. Maybe he'll go for a plea deal now that he's seen Stafford's fate?

Chris Few testified for the prosecution. By all accounts, after getting into an argument with his girlfriend, she sped off. Few sped off after her and the city marshals attempted to pull him over. He claims that he kept going for a bit (the whole chase was less than 2 miles) trying to catch her so she could take Jeremy if he was arrested.

Few gave up and came to a full stop. Video shows him with his hands fully in the air when Stafford unloaded his service weapon into the car. The video shows that Few did not try to run over the marshals, as they initially claimed. Two other officers at the scene - a third deputy city marshal and a Marksville police officer - didn't fire their weapons that night.

Prosecutors said the officers weren't in any danger and shot at the car from a safe distance, with none of their bullets hitting the front or back of Few's vehicle.

(continued)

[HairOfTheDog]

Jurors heard testimony that Stafford fired 14 shots from his semi-automatic pistol. He testified in his own defense and said he never would have shot or even pursued if he knew a child was in the vehicle. He claimed that Greenhouse had fallen to the ground backing away from Few's car and he was trying to protect him (which makes little sense to me).

Before the shooting, Stafford and Greenhouse both had been sued over claims they had used excessive force or neglected their duties as police officers.

The Marksville Police Department suspended Stafford after his indictment on rape charges in 2011, but reinstated him after prosecutors dismissed the charges.

Ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...death.html

[SIXFOOTERsez]

1 down, 1 to go

[HairOfTheDog]

This is somewhat encouraging.



Michael Slager's trial for the murder of Walter Scott resulted in a hung jury last year. State prosecutors had planned to retry him. However, Slager is reportedly striking a plea deal that would negate the need for a state retrial.

The former South Carolina police officer is pleading guilty to federal charges of violating Scott's civil rights when he shot and killed Scott as he ran from a 2015 traffic stop, according to a copy of the plea agreement obtained by The Associated Press.

The 13-page document also notes that as part of the deal, state prosecutors are dropping a pending murder charge against Michael Slager, effectively bringing to a close both parallel cases against the former North Charleston police officer.

Slager could face a possible life sentence when he's sentenced by a federal judge. That hearing will likely come after federal officials spend several weeks preparing a presentencing report.

Personally, I doubt he'll get more than 10 or 15 years, but at least he'll do some time behind bars.

Story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-slag...-motorist/

[HairOfTheDog]

TEXAS

Another shooting of an unarmed juvenile citizen, another false narrative by police.



^ Jordan Edwards, 15, was a freshman at Mesquite High School and loved to play football. Jeff Fleener, the head football coach at the school, told the Dallas Morning News he is “crushed and heartbroken” by Jordan’s death, saying the teen was never in trouble and had a GPA over 3.5. Fleener said Jordan played on the freshman football team and he had a “smile that could light up a room.”

On Saturday, Jordan went to a house party with four friends. There was underage drinking, a fight broke out and someone fired a gun. Jordan and his friends left the party at that point. When they pulled away from the house, a cop pulled out his rifle and shot into the car, hitting Jordan in the head and killing him.

Right after it happened, Balch Springs PD attempted to justify shooting at the unarmed teens by claiming they aggressively backed up towards police, using their car as a weapon, and that's why the cop had to shoot.

Well, as is too often the case and the Chief now acknowledges, video footage proves the initial police claims were bullshit. The teens were simply leaving the scene, going forward, and never backed up in the direction of arriving officers.

RIP Jordan Edwards.

Story: http://heavy.com/news/2017/04/jordan-edw...es-family/

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Cant see the video at work. Read this right after it happened, if true its time to hang another one

[SIXFOOTERsez]

This is somewhat encouraging.



Michael Slager's trial for the murder of Walter Scott resulted in a hung jury last year. State prosecutors had planned to retry him. However, Slager is reportedly striking a plea deal that would negate the need for a state retrial.

The former South Carolina police officer is pleading guilty to federal charges of violating Scott's civil rights when he shot and killed Scott as he ran from a 2015 traffic stop, according to a copy of the plea agreement obtained by The Associated Press.

The 13-page document also notes that as part of the deal, state prosecutors are dropping a pending murder charge against Michael Slager, effectively bringing to a close both parallel cases against the former North Charleston police officer.

Slager could face a possible life sentence when he's sentenced by a federal judge. That hearing will likely come after federal officials spend several weeks preparing a presentencing report.

Personally, I doubt he'll get more than 10 or 15 years, but at least he'll do some time behind bars.

Story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-slag...-motorist/

I hope they hang his ass personally. This guys behavior is what lead to some much of the other bullshit and other officers getting killed

[Duchess]

Another shooting of an unarmed juvenile citizen, another false narrative by police.

I am so sick of this shit. It's sickening to read about and saddening too. Lying bastard cop. Jordan was a good kid from a nice family. His teachers liked him as well as his coaches. He wasn't a thug.

[HairOfTheDog]

Another shooting of an unarmed juvenile citizen, another false narrative by police.

I am so sick of this shit. It's sickening to read about and saddening too. Lying bastard cop. Jordan was a good kid from a nice family. His teachers liked him as well as his coaches. He wasn't a thug.

You and me both. It pisses me off.



The police officer who killed Jordan is Roy Oliver. Not only did he lie about Jordan and company backing up towards him, none of the teens was armed and police have uncovered no evidence they'd been drinking.

It was Jordan's 16-year-old brother who was driving the car. He had to witness his little brother's killing. '(

It's not enough, but it was good to read today that Oliver has been fired following an internal investigation. The boy's family said in a statement they don't condone violence or threats against law enforcement after police stated they had received death threats in the days following the shooting. The Edwards family also urged people not to protest or march in retaliation.

Story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...fired.html

[SIXFOOTERsez]

I read that and this one this morning. Glad the cop got fired, he is probably going to be prosecuted for it too, at least I hope so.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/police-...&ocid=iehp

[Duchess]

The Dallas News is reporting that the cop who killed Jordan is facing a murder charge. A judge has signed the warrant.

[HairOfTheDog]

The Dallas News is reporting that the cop who killed Jordan is facing a murder charge. A judge has signed the warrant.

I read that he's out on $300,000 bond.

So few police officers get convicted of murder (requires intent) by juries, no matter how unjustified the killing and how false their initial statements.

I hope prosecutors offer up a secondary homicide charge for the jury to consider if the case goes to trial. Oliver never should have fired that gun at a car full of teens who presented no danger to his life; I don't want to see him acquitted.

[Duchess]

Roy Oliver's mugshot -

I don't want to see him acquitted either, HotD.

[HairOfTheDog]

Officer Betty Shelby was acquitted by a Tulsa jury last week in the September 2016 shooting death of Terence Crutcher. She is going back to work on the force -- not in the field though, reportedly.

The jury, which was multi-racial, released a letter through the foreman after the verdict. The foreman indicated that the jury did not feel that Shelby was blameless, but didn't feel she was guilty of manslaughter either.



Shelby (right) said she feared for her life when Crutcher failed to follow her commands repeatedly and she could tell he was on PCP. She said he kept reaching into his pockets. She said she wasn't trained to use a taser in such circumstances; she was trained to shoot (though none of the other officers on the scene feared for their lives or felt compelled to shoot).

The original police narrative that Crutcher was reaching into his vehicle when he was shot was proven false by video. Instead, his hands were up against his vehicle.

The prosecutors say they respect the process and the jury's verdict. The DA said it was a difficult case. The family says Shelby murdered Crutcher and got away with it. None of the witnesses nor the video indicate that Crutcher made an aggressive move towards Shelby and he was unarmed. The family plans to file a civil suit against Shelby and the PD.

Refs:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tulsa-cop-ac...n-to-work/
http://heavy.com/news/2017/05/betty-shel...ict-trial/

[Duchess]

[quote='HairOfTheDog' pid='452790' dateline='1495465167']
none of the other officers on the scene feared for their lives or felt compelled to shoot

I wonder why that meant nothing when the case was heard. I certainly would have taken that into account when forming an opinion.

[Duchess]

Oh my goodness. I sure fucked that up. Wooo.