Tag: police brutality

Dozens Of Journalists Targeted, Shot, Detained While Covering LA Protests, Press Org Says

Shocking video and photos taken amid the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles show journalists and news crews being shot, detained and forced off public property by law enforcement, raising concerns of excessive force and First Amendment rights violations.

There have been more than 30 incidents of police violence against journalists as of Tuesday, including 20 injuries, at least five of which required emergency room or urgent care visits, said Adam Rose, the press rights chair with the Los Angeles Press Club, which released a statement Monday urging an end to the targeting of journalists whose work is constitutionally protected.

The list of injuries includes a freelance photojournalist requiring emergency surgery Sunday night after being shot in the leg with a three-inch piece of plastic that he believes was designed to be shot and explode above a crowd.

Graphic photos shared with HuffPost show a gaping wound in Nick Stern’s right thigh that he said has left him unable to walk or move without assistance.

“Why this device was shot at human, kind of, waist high level, I do not know. The people around me at that time was doing nothing more than waving Mexican flags,” he told HuffPost.

Stern, who said he has three decades of experience photographing public protests, including in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the George Floyd protests in 2020, expressed concern that people may die from the excessive use of force that he witnessed and experienced firsthand.

“I never thought for one moment that I’d actually have to be fearful of law enforcement during a public protest but that seems to be where the danger to journalists comes from,” he said.

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New Orleans Police Officer Who Shot a Puppy Will Face Trial

A Louisiana police officer who shot and killed a puppy in 2021 will now face trial, after a lengthy legal battle.

On April 10, 2021, two New Orleans Police Department officers were called to Derek Brown and Julia Barecki-Brown’s home after receiving a noise complaint. According to legal documents, as the pair approached the house, one officer, Derrick Burmaster, claimed he made “kissy noises” to attract any dogs. Believing there were no dogs nearby, the officers approached the Brown’s house. As they did so, a dog began barking, and Burmaster drew his firearm. While the other officer left the Browns’ yard after hearing the barking, Burmaster stayed, and the Brown’s two dogs then ran down the stairs of the home and approached the officers.

One of the dogs, a 16-week-old, 22-pound puppy named Apollo approached Burmaster while wagging his tail. Burmaster fired three shots at Apollo, striking the dog in his neck and chest. Hearing gunshots, the Browns came into the yard, and Derek “held Apollo as he died from the gunshot wound,” according to the couple’s lawsuit.

The couple filed a lawsuit against Burmaster and the City of New Orleans in 2022, alleging that Burmaster unconstitutionally ‘seized’ Apollo by shooting him. “It is clearly established that an officer cannot shoot a dog in the absence of an objectively legitimate and imminent threat to him or others,” the suit reads. “A twenty-two-pound Catahoula puppy, standing less than a foot and a half tall, does not present an objectively legitimate and imminent threat to police officers.”

A yearslong legal battle followed. Earlier this year, the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled against Burmaster’s attempt to appeal a lower court’s decision that the case could not be thrown out on qualified immunity grounds. 

“A reasonable jury could conclude that Burmaster did not reasonably believe that Bruno, a small puppy who was wagging his tail shortly before the shooting, posed a threat,” the decision reads. “A reasonable jury could further conclude that Burmaster did not reasonably believe he was in imminent danger, based on Bruno’s [sic] size, Burmaster’s ability to exit the yard, and the availability of non-lethal tools like the taser and police boots.” (The ruling appears to have confused Apollo’s name.)

Despite efforts to toss the Browns’ suit, the case is now set to go to trial. This is far from the first case of “puppycide,” where a police officer has shot a dog that posed no obvious threat to his saftey. Burmaster himself fatally shot another dog in 2012, according to The Associated Press. Earlier this month, another Louisiana police department announced that it was investigating two different incidents in which officers shot dogs. It’s not uncommon for puppycide cases to be particularly nonsensical. Last year, a Missouri man sued an officer who shot his 13-pound, deaf and blind Shih Tzu. In 2023, another Missouri family’s dog wandered away from their home during a storm. When a neighbor found the dog and called to police for help, the officer shot the dog and threw its body in a ditch, rather than simply returning it to its owners. 

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Audit finds dozens of police custody deaths in Maryland should have been ruled homicides

An audit of past rulings by a controversial medical examiner found that 36 cases of police custody deaths deemed accidents should have instead been classified as homicides. 

The comprehensive review of 87 determinations regarding deaths resulting from police use of force stretched back 16 years from 2003 to 2019. It highlights the often questionable conclusions the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) used to determine that police were not culpable.  

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, whose agency managed the audit of former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler, said the audit was disturbing and that the reclassified cases warranted further scrutiny. 

“These findings are of great concern and demand further review,” Brown wrote in the preface of the report. 

The report is simply an audit. It does not formally reclassify any of the cases that have been reviewed. Normally, changing an autopsy determination requires a hearing in front of a judge.

The push to examine Fowler’s past rulings came after he testified at the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was charged with murder after video surfaced of him sitting on George Floyd’s neck for roughly nine minutes. Floyd later died at a nearby hospital.  

The case sparked outrage and nationwide protests.  

Fowler testified that Floyd did not die from positional asphyxiation, the result of the downward pressure of Chauvin’s knee. Instead, he attributed carbon monoxide poisoning from a nearby tailpipe to be the primary cause. 

The testimony sent shockwaves through the medical community. An open letter penned by roughly 450 medical experts called for a review of Fowler’s rulings in light of his testimony. The pushback prompted the state to undertake a comprehensive audit, the findings of which were released in a 90-page report. 

But prior to Fowler’s testimony and the subsequent review of his rulings, family members of victims and activists had been calling attention to his determinations. TRNN also consulted an independent pathologist to review Fowler’s cases. 

Among them is the death of a 19-year-old Eastern Shore resident, Anton Black. 

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Supreme Court broadens standard for unreasonable force claims against police

The Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier to bring unreasonable force claims against police, ruling unanimously that courts should examine the circumstances beyond the split seconds when an officer fears for their safety in deciding whether they can be tried for unreasonable force.

The case stemmed from a 2016 traffic stop in Texas.

Ashtian Barnes, 24, was killed during the routine stop. He had been driving his girlfriend’s rental car, which had outstanding toll violations, when stopped by officer Roberto Felix Jr.   

After Barnes was asked to present his license and insurance, the car started moving forward. Felix jumped onto the vehicle’s doorsill and shot inside, striking Barnes twice and killing him.

The exchange turned deadly in seconds. The justices were asked to weigh whether courts should examine everything that happened during the traffic stop or just the moment when Felix feared for his safety when evaluating an excessive force claim.

In a 9-0 decision, they said the so-called “moment of the threat” doctrine should not be applied in such cases, instead directing courts to review the “totality of the circumstances.”

“To assess whether an officer acted reasonably in using force, a court must consider all the relevant circumstances, including facts and events leading up to the climactic moment,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the majority opinion.

Kagan noted the situation at the precise moment of the shooting may often be what matters most, given that the officer’s choice in those split seconds are what is under review. However, she said earlier facts and circumstances may inform how a “reasonable officer” would have responded to later ones.

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‘No trace of alcohol’: Police thought Amazon worker’s stroke was a DWI, then threw him in jail for 7 hours and caused him to go blind, lawsuit says

A Missouri man who was wrongly arrested for DWI while he was exhibiting symptoms of a stroke is suing the sheriff’s office for not getting him the medical treatment he needed.

In a complaint filed in federal court in April, Paul Espinosa, 54, claimed that while he was arriving at the parking lot of the Amazon Warehouse in Republic, Missouri, where he worked, he was pulled over by Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Winchell. Winchell claimed that Espinosa’s car was “weaving,” and the deputy suspected he was driving while intoxicated. Espinosa agreed to a field sobriety test, including a Breathalyzer test, which yielded a reading of 0.000% — indicating there was “no trace of alcohol in his system,” the lawsuit states.

However, Espinosa showed signs of “swaying” during other parts of the test, and Winchell arrested Espinosa on suspicion of DWI. Espinosa was put in the back of Winchell’s vehicle and transported to the jail. Espinosa began “sweating profusely” during the transport, despite the car’s air conditioning running throughout the trip. Upon their arrival at the jail, Espinosa’s “motor skills were declining,” the lawsuit states.

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Minnesota Governor and National Guard Begin Preparing for Riots Over Possible Derek Chauvin Pardon

Gov. Tim Walz, the Minnesota National Guard, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt have reportedly all been briefed on preparations for potential riots if former police officer Derek Chauvin is granted a presidential pardon.

Chauvin, of course, was the officer filmed kneeling on drug addict George Floyd during his fatal interaction with police. His death caused nationwide deadly Black Lives Matter riots throughout the summer of 2020.

According to a report from local station KSTP, “Multiple sources told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Gov. Tim Walz, the Minnesota National Guard, Mayor Jacob Frey and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt have all been briefed on preparations for possible civil unrest if President Donald Trump pardons former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for his federal conviction of killing George Floyd.”

“Sources also told KSTP the Minnesota Department of Corrections is ready to pick up Chauvin at a federal penitentiary in Arizona, and bring him back to Oak Park Heights Prison in Minnesota to serve the remainder of his 22-and-a-half-year sentence,” the report added.

However, antifa-supporting Attorney General Keith Ellison told MSNBC over the weekend that Chauvin will not be released.

“He still owes Minnesota 22-and-a-half years. And, he’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere, but he’s not getting out,” Ellison asserted.

On Monday, Gov. Walz told the media, “No indication whether they’re going to do it, but I think it behooves us to be prepared for it. With this presidency, it seems like something they would do.”

The former officer is currently serving two state and federal 21-year sentences for violating Floyd’s civil rights and second-degree murder.

Chauvin was stabbed 22 times by fellow inmate John Turscak at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Tucson, Arizona, in 2023.

President Donald Trump has not publicly indicated if he is considering pardoning Chauvin.

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Report: Brazilian National in CA Was Arrested for Domestic Violence, Became a Cop, Now Accused of Rape

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in 2022 removing a requirement for police, highway patrol, and corrections officers in the state to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

Now, a foreign national Felipe Gomes, who was hired by the Belmont Police Department after the law went into effect in 2023, was arrested last week on suspicion of rape, The Blaze reported. The Brazilian national was reportedly hired despite a previous arrest in 2017 for domestic violence. 

Redwood City Police arrested Gomes at the Belmont Police Department headquarters on April 22, RCPD Sgt. Victor Figueroa said. Gomes is accused of violating penal code 261 (a)(1), which is “knowingly having sexual intercourse with an individual incapable of giving consent because of a mental disorder or developmental or physical disability,” according to the report. 

Gomes was subsequently booked into the San Mateo County Office Main Jail and released on $100,000 bond. Belmont Police Lt. Pete Lotti said Gomes was terminated the day after his arrest, the report states. 

Gomes was sworn in on Dec. 10 at a Belmont City Council ceremony. At the ceremony, Belmont Police Chief Ken Stenquist said Gomes was in the Brazilian Air Force and worked as air force police.

“He was a full-time police soldier and left that position when he moved to the United States. He enjoys practicing jiu jitsu and attending church when he’s not working,” Stenquist added.

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the East Palo Alto Police Department allegedly warned Chief Stenquist about Gomes before he was hired. Both law enforcement agencies said they had rejected his application due to a 2017 domestic violence arrest, KGO-TV reported. 

“The charging affidavit reviewed by KGO alleged that one year into his marriage, Gomes — who is not an American citizen but apparently has a U.S. work permit — brutally beat his wife, striking her repeatedly in the face and stomach. Gomes had allegedly done so after seeing text messages on his wife’s phone from her ex-boyfriend,” according to the report. 

An officer at the time said he saw a “large bruise that covered most of (his wife’s) left cheek and scratches to her right cheek.”

“The state attorney reportedly factored in Gomes’ claims that his wife hit and scratched him first, charged both husband and wife with battery/domestic violence, and ultimately dropped the charges,” the report details. 

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Texas Cop Pleads Guilty After Shooting Wife In The Face

A disgraced Texas police officer cut a deal after facing charges of shooting his wife in the head, and now the ex-cop will spend the next two decades behind bars.

Galib Chowdhury, 33, was arrested in June 2023 by the same police department that employed him as an officer. Shortly after he admitted to what he described as accidentally shooting his wife, Sadaf Iqbal, then 31, the Houston Police Department fired him. An investigation into the incident revealed a troubled history between the two, including texts Chowdhury sent to Iqbal shortly before that fateful night.

According to reporting by KPRC, a local NBC affiliate, Chowdhury was the one who reported the shooting after midnight on June 12, 2023. At the time, he claimed that he was trying to shoot an intruder and Iqbal got in the way. However, KPRC reported that investigators were suspicious about his story; he reportedly didn’t have any physical description of the supposed suspect, nor did he say where they ran. There was also no damage to the home that would indicate a break-in.

Iqbal sustained a gunshot wound to the head that she survived. According to a GoFundMe page set up for her medical expenses, she is still recovering from her injuries. When she was taken to the hospital, she reportedly refused to give a statement to police and stated that the shooting was an accident. Investigators reportedly suspected domestic violence and asked to search her cellphone, to which she consented.

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Police Chief Defends Use Of Lies And Torture To Obtain False Confession

A police chief in California has taken to social media to defend detectives who forced a man on medication for stress, depression and high blood pressure to confess to his own father’s murder — which never actually happened — through the use of what a federal judge called “psychological torture.”

“Were we perfect in how we handled the situation? Nobody ever is,” wrote Fontana Police Chief Michael Dorsey in a Nov. 7 statement posted to the department’s X account. “In situations like these, it is acceptable and perfectly legal to use different tactics and techniques, such as ruses, to elicit information from people suspected of potential criminal activity. That was done in this case in order to gain resolution.”

The problem: detectives were looking to gain resolution for a homicide that didn’t exist.

Thomas Perez Jr. was interrogated for 17 hours by the Fontana Police Department over the disappearance of his 71-year-old father in 2018, according to a civil rights lawsuit that he settled earlier this year with the city and an interview with CNN. He reported him missing on Aug. 8 of that year and was questioned that evening and the following day.

Detectives David Janusz and Kyle Guthrie claimed in a 2023 deposition for the civil case filed by Perez against the City of Fontana that their lieutenant had told them “something to the fact that they believed Thomas — or Mr. Perez — had killed his father.” The detectives both admitted that they had “a feeling” that Perez murdered his father but couldn’t prove it.

The pair allegedly took Perez to a coffee shop and drove him around town for hours while “berating” him about his dad’s disappearance and looking for places where he might have dumped a body, his suit said. They also allegedly denied requests by Perez to let him take medication he is prescribed for his stress, depression, high blood pressure and asthma.

At one point, the detectives even claimed to have recovered his dad’s remains, saying, “He has a toe tag on him,” according to the suit. Interrogation footage also shows them saying, “You know you killed him. You did.” A third cop, Detective Robert Miller, was also said to have been involved.

The City of Fontana wound up settling with Perez — paying him nearly $900,000 — after a federal judge in California’s Central District ruled in favor of letting his case move forward following a review of police footage from the interrogation.

“Perez’s mental state, among other factors, made him a vulnerable individual,” wrote Judge Dolly Gee, referring to the detectives’ interrogation tactics as “unconstitutional psychological torture” in her ruling.

“He was sleep deprived, mentally ill, and, significantly, undergoing symptoms of withdrawal from his psychiatric medications,” Gee said. “He was berated, worn down, and pressured into a false confession after 17 hours of questioning. (The officers) did this with full awareness of his compromised mental and physical state and need for his medications.”

In his X statement, Chief Dorsey explained that while the City of Fontana was ready to end its beef with Perez and put his case to rest after half a decade, he was not.

“Our police department recently settled a lawsuit that generated misleading, one-sided headlines, telling the story from the point-of-view of the plaintiff’s attorney,” Dorsey said.

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