Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told a group of union members Wednesday that he does not have enough evidence to decide yet whether he’ll file charges against Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, and he blamed “investigators” for not doing their jobs. Noor fatally shot Justine Ruszczyk from the passenger seat of his squad car through … Read more
Virginia – By all accounts, Bijan C. Ghaisar was a beautiful young man. The 25-year-old accountant loved Tom Brady, Muhammad Ali, and Pink Floyd, and he hated guns. Bijan C. Ghaisar had a passion for football, for liberal politics, for chicken wings and chocolate. He had embraced Buddhism in the last year of his life, … Read more
Police officers in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, killed a 72-year-old woman during a raid on her home. According to her 50-year-old son, who was arrested on drug charges during the raid, Geraldine Townsend was sleeping when police entered. She woke up, grabbed a pellet gun, and shot at the cops—and one of the cops shot back. Two … Read more
Tuesday, a Texas law enforcement officer accused officials of covering up the events that led to the death of Sandra Bland last July after her arrest. In an interview with Huffington Post reporter, Michael McLaughlin, Prairie View police officer, Michael Kelley said that some portions of his initial incident report regarding Bland’s arrest were removed. … Read more
The family of an unarmed man who was fatally shot by police after they responded to a “swatting” prank is suing the city of Wichita, Kansas, and 10 police officers, calling the young man’s death “unacceptable.” Andrew Finch’s mother and sister filed the lawsuit Monday in the U.S. District Court of Kansas. Finch, who was … Read more
The controversial verdict that cleared a former Mesa police officer of murder in a dramatic shooting captured by a body cam spared Philip “Mitch” Brailsford from a potential prison sentence, but the case is far from over for Mesa taxpayers. Mesa still faces millions of dollars in potential liability in a federal wrongful death lawsuit … Read more
Three police officers were given awards by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for their involvement in the fatal shooting of a military veteran. Officers John Bernard, Joshua Hilton, and Paul Scali were awarded the prestigious Trooper George L. Hanna Memorial Awards for Bravery, commending them for their roles in the shooting death of Denis Reynoso. Reynoso … Read more
The city of Albuquerque has reached a $5 million settlement with the family of Mary Hawkes, a 19-year-old woman who was shot and killed by police during a foot chase in 2014. The settlement resolves the lawsuit filed by her family against both the city and then-officer Jeremy Dear, and concludes a case that was … Read more
Ohio – Chaos unfolded Wednesday afternoon in a hallway outside a Franklin County courtroom, when a scuffle involving a teenage defendant, his family members and a deputy ended in fatal gunfire. The Franklin County sheriff’s office deputy, who was knocked to the ground, fired a single shot, killing 16-year-old Joseph Edward Haynes of the Hilltop. … Read more
A Troy police sergeant will not face prosecution for the April 2016 fatal shooting of a DWI suspect, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday in a detailed report that contradicts the officer’s version of events and criticizes the investigation conducted by the city police department. The report chronicling Schneiderman’s year-long investigation into the shooting … Read more
CHICAGO — Chicago’s police oversight committee released a report sustaining allegations that an officer used excessive force in the 2015 fatal shooting of a NIU student. The report, released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability Dec. 22, determined Chicago Police Department officer Robert Rialmo was unjustified in his use of force that led to … Read more
Seattle police shot and killed a mother of four inside her apartment in the presence of her young children after she called law enforcement to report a burglary. The death of 30-year-old Charleena Lyles, who police say was carrying a knife, has sparked outrage across the country, with critics decrying the shooting as another example … Read more