And people still think that a war isn't in progress....
One Officer, SUV Left Scene Of Fatal D.C. Police Shooting
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rticle/2007/09
By Allison Klein and Keith L. Alexander
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 20, 2007; Page A01
Federal prosecutors assumed the lead role
yesterday in the investigation into a D.C. police
shooting that killed a 14-year-old youth, and
more questions emerged about the conduct of the
two off-duty officers involved, including why one left the scene.
Law enforcement sources also revealed that
authorities first learned of the shooting Monday
night through technology designed to detect the
sound of gunfire -- and not from the officers
themselves. A rooftop ShotSpotter sensor directed
police patrols to the Southeast Washington street
where they found the body of DeOnté Rawlings, who had been shot in the head.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Police Chief Cathy L.
Lanier announce that the U.S. attorney's office
is conducting an independent investigation. (By
Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post)
Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and other officials
provided few new details yesterday about the
shooting, which took place after the youth
allegedly opened fire on the officers.
Authorities have said the officers -- identified
yesterday as James Haskel and Anthony Clay --
were riding in Haskel's sport-utility vehicle and
looking for a minibike stolen from Haskel's home
when they found DeOnté astride it.
Haskel, 44, a 22-year member of the force who
works in the helicopter unit, was the only
officer to shoot, police said. Clay, 43, did not
draw his weapon, officials said. Clay is a
19-year member of the force assigned to the
training academy, where he produces instructional
videos. Both officers were placed on
administrative leave, as is common practice in police shootings.
The youth's family and neighborhood residents
have expressed doubts about the police version of
events. Police have yet to find the gun allegedly
used by the youth or the minibike. Yesterday, law
enforcement sources voiced concerns about another
key piece of evidence : the SUV, which officials
have said was struck in the driver's-side door by
a gunshot allegedly fired by the teenager.
Clay rode off in the dark-colored 1999 Chevy
Tahoe immediately after the shooting, according
to the sources, who spoke on the condition of
anonymity because the inquiry is continuing. The
sources said that Haskel urged Clay to leave with
the vehicle and that Haskel feared that if people
in the Condon Terrace neighborhood recognized it,
he and his family might be at risk. Clay returned
about 10 or 15 minutes later, the sources said,
without the SUV; the sources were unclear about
where the vehicle was left. It is now in the custody of prosecutors.
Police officials have said the events were set in
motion when Haskel arrived at his Southeast
Washington home Monday evening and discovered
that the minibike was missing. He and Clay, both
out of uniform, set off to look for it, the
official s said. One law enforcement source said
police received a call Monday evening, shortly
before the shooting, from a neighbor of Haskel's
alerting them to the break-in at the officer's home.
The shooting occurred about 7:30 p.m. in the 600
block of Atlantic Street SE. An angry crowd
quickly assembled, and Lanier has said the gun
allegedly used by the youth probably disappeared in the chaos.
Eight shell casings from Haskel's police-issued
9mm Glock were recovered from the scene, police
said. Three shell casings from a .45-caliber
handgun were found, and police said that gun might have been fired by DeOnté.
The sources said that the ShotSpotter technology,
which relies on a network of noise sensors on
buildings, confirmed that two guns were fired in
the area at the time of the confrontation.
Authorities are hoping that the same technology
will indicate which gun was fired first, the sources said.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Lanier held a news
conference yesterday to announce that the U.S.
attorney's office is conducting an independent
investigation, which is standard procedure in
police shootings. Lanier then declined to answer
questions about the case, saying it was in the
hands of the U.S. attorney. Prosecutors said they
could not comment because the investigation is underway.
Lanier said police have turned over materials to
the prosecutors and are cooperating fully. The
chief said police will continue an internal
review to determine whether the officers violated
procedures. She declined to say what rules might
apply or whether she thought any were broken.
Lanier and Fenty promised a full airing once the
investigation is complete. They said that they
understood the public's need for answers and that they, too, have questions.
"We want to do everything possible to maintain the public trust," Fenty sai d.
DeOnté's family continued to say yesterday that
he did not have a gun. They said they think
someone in the crowd fired at the officers.
The family has described DeOnté as a smart and
dependable youth who stayed out of trouble. The
teen's father, Charles Rawlings, said that DeOnté
had been questioned by police many times in the
past year about crimes in the area, including a
homicide, but that DeOnté had not been charged in any of them.
Yesterday afternoon, family members and friends
of DeOnté's gathered around a television to watch
Fenty and Lanier promise an investigation into DeOnté's death.
Tears rolled down the faces of DeOnté's brothers
and other relatives and friends as they watched
the live coverage of the news conference.
DeOnté's mother didn't finish watching the
official remarks. She ran into the bathroom shrieking.
"That was my baby," Loretta Bethwith Hall
screamed from inside t he bathroom. "I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. Please, somebody tell me. Oh, God.
Somebody tell me why. I need somebody to explain it to me."
Anger, confusion and sorrow filled the
split-level house where DeOnté lived with his
father, stepmother, brother and sister for the past nine years.
DeOnté was remembered as a boy who loved the
Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Lakers. He
often attended Bible studies with his father at
the nearby First Christian Science Church, where
his father also worked, family members said. His
bedroom, which he shared with his 18-year-old
brother, George, was painted basketball orange. A
PlayStation 2 and a television were in a corner
of the room, which had twin beds.
George Rawlings said DeOnté never owned a
minibike and never brought one home. "He had a
mountain bike, that's it," he said.
"Where is the gun he was supposed to have? Where
is this bike?" George Rawlings asked. "What is
taking them so long to find it if he had them?"
Staff writers Carol D. Leonnig, Robert E. Pierre,
Jenna Johnson, Nikita Stewart and Del Quentin Wilber contributed to this report.
SOLUTIONS by Cathy Harris, Community Organizer & Advocate
cathyharris Atlanta, GA
HOLD THE POLICE ACCOUNTABLE...
-Form Community Watchdog Groups
-Form Criminal Justice Coalitions
-Form Civilian Review Boards
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