(Federal) Jury convicts 5 officers in Katrina shootings

MSNBC, Associated Press ^ | 8/5/2011

[The KG9 Kid]

NEW ORLEANS — A federal jury convicted five current or former police officers Friday of civil rights violations in the deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina, but decided they were not guilty of murder.

. ..All five officers were convicted Friday of charges stemming from the cover-up of the shootings. The four who had been charged with civil rights violations in the shootings were convicted on all counts.

However, the jury decided that neither fatal shooting was a murder.

Prosecutors said police shot six unarmed people, killing two, on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after the 2005 storm. Officers also were charged with participating in a cover-up to make the shootings appear justified.

[The KG9 Kid]

Darn extraneous HTML text got in. Apologies. I’ll ask Mod to clear it up.

[Dead Corpse]

Faulcon, the only defendant to testify, said he was "paralyzed with fear" when he shot and killed a 40-year-old mentally disabled man, Ronald Madison, as he chased him and his brother, Lance Madison. Faulcon didn't dispute that he shot an unarmed man in the back, but he testified that he had believed Ronald Madison was armed and posed a threat.

Paralyzed by fear but he was nimble enough to shoot an unarmed man in the back?

This isn't Justice. Not by a long stretch.

[NorthStarStateConservative]

“NEW ORLEANS — A federal jury convicted five current or former police officers Friday of civil rights violations in the deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina, but decided they were not guilty of murder. “

Meaning a few feds came over to the jurymembers houses and bullied the jurors.

[Erik Latranyi]

The abusive nature of the NOPD during Katrina (remember they confiscated firearms?) is a demonstration of what would happen if we have a complete breakdown and martial law.

[ken5050]

Was any evidence or testimony offered during the trial to confirm the officers assertions that they were fired on first?

[Charles Martel]

The worst part is that some of those confiscations were done by “volunteer” police officers from all over the country. Often in the company of national guardsmen.

[NautiNurse]

ping

[abb]

The TP has had extensive coverage of the trial which I’ve been following. They had two reporters in the courtroom every day.

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/08/danziger_bridge_verdict_do_not.html
5 NOPD officers guilty in post-Katrina Danziger Bridge shootings, cover-up

[A Strict Constructionist]

“confiscations were done by “volunteer” police officers from all over the country.”

I seem to remember that Connecticut and NJ cops here and maybe some from Ohio. We had one Guard Unit that ramsacked (Robbed) a jewelry store and pretty much got away with it because the were never charged in a civil court,politics.

[JDW11235]

It’s amazing charges were even brought against them. There’s so much corruption in the political prisoner system we have today it’s ridiculous.

[NautiNurse]

Meanwhile, a New Orleans doctor and two nurses were killing hospitalized patients to put them out of their misery. 3 Arrested in New Orleans Hospital Deaths. At least 17 of 45 dead patients at one hospital were injected with morphine or the sedative midazolam, or both.

A grand jury refused to indict Dr. Anna Pao for 2nd degree murder.

[Popman]

Prosecutors said police shot six unarmed people, killing two, on the Danziger Bridge less than a week after the 2005 storm.

Oh' this is 2011......it took six YEARS for this to get to trial ?

Whatever happened to a "speedy trial"

[abb]

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2011/08/justice_on_danziger_at_last_an.html

Justice on Danziger, at last: An editorial

[Forgotten Amendments]

Whatever happened to a "speedy trial"

I think it's because the Feds brought this trial because the locals wouldn't. Actually, I hate it when the Feds come in and do this, but in this case, at least it produced a little justice.

[abb]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26183739/#.Tj2N9YIQp8E

updated 8/13/2008 6:10:03 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS — A judge threw out murder and attempted murder charges Wednesday against seven New Orleans police officers accused of gunning down two men on a bridge in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In quashing the indictments, state District Judge Raymond Bigelow agreed with defense arguments that prosecutors violated state law by divulging secret grand jury testimony to a police officer who was a witness in the case.

Survivors of the Sept. 4, 2005 shootings have said the officers fired at unarmed people crossing the Danziger Bridge to get food at a grocery store. Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally disabled man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed by police; four other people were wounded.

The officers acknowledged shooting at people on the bridge, but said they did so only after first taking fire.

[Forgotten Amendments]

Thanks! My suspicion always was that the prosecutors deliberately blew that. Same in some other police misconduct cases. Am I paranoid?