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Subscribe to RSSBrad Hallwig, the lawyer for a man whose conviction was overturned, thought news headlines should read: “Bad police shooting turns into cover-up.”
Hallwig’s client, Darryl A. White, Jr. of Baltimore sued two police officers for $30 million, for the shooting deaths of his cousin and friend and his wrongful imprisonment. The families of the two who died joined White in the lawsuit. A judge declared a mistrial Monday, WBALTV.com reported.
The lawsuit stems from a shootout on July 4, 2008, when three police officers in a marked cruiser responded to an Independence Day party at a union hall where gun shots had been heard.
The officers – James L. Brooks and Christopher D. Ahearn – claimed they were targets, according to the Baltimore Sun. They said they were fired at from within the white Ford Taurus. The lawsuit says they responded with more than two dozen shots.
White’s cousin, Heywood White, 18, and friend, Raemond White, 21, were both killed. A bullet also pierced Darryl White’s hand. Officers said they recovered handguns from the Taurus.
Following the shooting, Darryl White was charged on 20 counts, including attempted murder. He was ultimately convicted on handgun violation charges and sentenced to 12 years.
In prison, White continued to claim his innocence, saying that he didn’t have a weapon that night. On appeal, testimony revealed that the officers did not see him with a handgun and that police had not tested him for gunshot residue. A Maryland Court of Special Appeals overturned his conviction last March.
White then sued, saying that the shots heard were celebratory, and that the officers opened fire in response.
White’s lawyers say police planted evidence by placing a shell casing inside the Taurus.
"Why the cover-up? Why the plan?” Mark Herman, an attorney for the plaintiff told the court on Monday. “The defendants knew they had a problem. They had killed two innocent people and shot a third."
Paul M. Blair, Jr. president of the city’s police union, defended the officers.
"You carry guns ... nowadays on the street, and you start shooting at police, then the police are going to return fire," Blair said, according to the Baltimore Sun.
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Nothin new here, just the law and order system covering up for their bad actions. I was denied due process of law in not being able to see a magistrate at the 61st Court in Grand Rapids. When I questioned the system and stood up for my constitutional right of due process, a judge, prosecutor, and police officer fixed and perjured my trial- 61stdistrictcourtcorruption.com. Thing is that the court's own records and the police's own records show the perjury when compared to the trial transcripts.
Cops are good about shooting an arrow and painting the target around it.
kinda sounds like that
The trust in law enforcement agencies throughout the country continues to erode due in large part to situations just like this one.
Disgusting as always law enforcement and their @!$%# ass UNIONS!
I have to be on the cops side for this one. If you all were to put yourselves in their shoes you would have reacted the same way. Cops get shot at everyday and if people are STUPID enough to fire any weapon out in the open then they deserve the repercussion of that act. What if one of those"celebratory" bullets would have hit someone and they were killed would you all be saying this is the cops fault????? You all are angry because a cop REACTED to shots being fired. I guess when we have any holidays in this country all police officers are to be told not to respond to any gunshots they hear or respond to any calls they get from folks stating they heard gunshots being fired!!!!!!
@ USA, really? You're all for police conducting summary executions and covering up the executions? Really? You think that the Constitution is a useless piece of paper that should be destroyed too?
If the cops new things were 100% as they claimed, the lone survivor of that police hit would've been checked for gunshot residue. He wasn't. Why? Because the cops were trying to hide their execution.
USA is Great,
You have to be a cop. Only a cop would take the side of a criminal just because the criminal happens to be a cop. You ask me the police are the most ruthless and deadliest "Gang" in America. And it just absolutely kills me how they always quote officer safety but we citizens are not allowed to look out for our safety with the same force they abuse.
uglyreality: I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU about the police being the most ruthless and deadliest 'gang' in America (besides our government, of course). I live in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and our Sheriff's department is not only corrupt, they are incredibly ABUSIVE. Next time, I'll take my chances before I ever call those @!$%#s again for help. My Father was a policeman but he never once acted like these jerkoffs act today. Too many cops are just power-hungry and hypocritical morons.