Info
on this page consists of excerpts from:
Above The Law:Police and the Excessive Use of Force
by Jerome H. Skolnick and James J. Fyfe.
and
SOURCE magazine, December 1997, pages 30, 31.
Above The Law:Police and the Excessive Use of Force
by Jerome H. Skolnick and James J. Fyfe.and
SOURCE magazine, December 1997, pages 30, 31.
Examples
of Controversial Cases
| Portland,
OR- March 1994, Joseph Bernatche, 36, was slammed to the ground face-first
and handcuffed by a police officer outside of a nightclub. Five witnesses
saw another officer arrive and hit Bernatche in the head with a baton.
Bernatche needed stiches to close gashes over both eyes, he also had
a broken rib and lost three teeth. The city paid him a settlement
$126,000, but police officers deny any wrongdoing. Moreno Valley, Ca- December 1995, Daniel Carbajal,36, was clubbed and pepper sprayed in the eyes, nose, and ears by police officers after they separated him from his dying son who had been gunned down outside a friend's house. Los Angeles, CA- April 1991, Rodney King was brutally beaten by four police officers while 19 others looked on. He was clubbed 56 times in 81 seconds and suffered nine skull fractures, a shattered eye socket, a broken leg, a fractured cheekbone, a concussion and nerve injuries that left part of his face paralyzed. The aquittal of the four officers sparked the 1992 LA riots. Los Angeles, CA- July 1995, Jose Antonio Gutierrez, 14, was shot and killed by a police officer, who says Gutierrez was pointing a TEC-9 pistol at him. Witnesses say Gutierrez had already thrown the gun over the fence. Atlanta, GA- January 1997, Jerry Jackson, 23, was shot and killed during a police gunfight in a motorcycle shop. Police say they thought the shop was being robbed. Witnesses say an officer stod over the wounded Jackson and executed him. Chicago, IL- May 1996, Eric Smith, 22, was shot to death by police. Smith, who is deaf, could not hear the officers' orders. He was pulled from the car and shot three times. New Orleans, IA- December 1994, Kim Graves, 32, was shot and killed by police officers. Her death was an ordered "hit" made by an officer after she filed a police brutality complaint. Springfield, MA- November 1994, Benjamin Schoolfield, 20, was shot to death by a police officer. Police said there was a struggle for the gun in Schoolfield's van. Witnesses say the officer shot Schollfield through the window of the van. New York City, NY- Aswan Watson, 23, was shot by police 18 times while sitting in his car, after reaching under his seat for his Club anti-theft device. Philadelphia, PA- January, 1995, Adrienne Curton, 26, a six-year veteran on the force, was beaten by as many as 20 officers with fists and flashlights. Dressed in plain clothes, she was responding to a domestic violence call. Pittsburgh, PA- December 1995, Johnny Gammage, 31, was stopped by five police officers for a rtaffic violation and was subsequently beaten to death. Thirty-eight witnesses testified that the officers went overboard. Three of the officers were acquitted. Chattanooga, TN- February 1993, Larry Powell, 39, died as a result of a police choke hold during a traffic violation. Norfolk, VA- September 1996, Luther Lashawn Brothers, 16, was assaulted by a police officer who thought he was riding a stolen bike. Houston, TX- February 1996, astronaut Mae Jemison, 39, was assaulted and slammed to the ground by a police officer when stopped for a traffic violation. The officer was cleared of all wrongdoing. |
The Pennsylvania criminal law authorizes police to use deadly force only in defense of life or to apprehend persons suspected of "forcible felonies." Some of the more controversial Philadelphia "police shooting file" cases.. 76-2: a 20-year-old white male prowler who ran from the officer with his hands up was shot in the ankle (the officer said it was a warning shot 77-50: a 16-year-old white male was shot while running from the theft of sneakers and albums 75-86: a 17-year-old black male who stole 3 bath mats and one toilet seat cover from a store was shot in the back and killed as he tried to run away 76-58: an 18-year-old black male who had robbed a drunk of two packages of cupcakes was shot in the buttock as he ran (the suspect had knocked down the drunk and taken the cupcakes) 75-119: a 22-year-old black male involved in a consensual homosexual act in an alley was shot in the back of the leg as he ran from the police who were responding to burglary call 78-62: a 19-year-old white male was killed while running away from a traffic violation |
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