Killers of Disabled Man Hailed as Heroes.

twoply

Associated Press"NEW ORLEANS, La. ??? With more than 200 supporters applauding them, the seven New Orleans police officers indicted in a deadly bridge shooting following Hurricane Katrina arrived at a jail Tuesday to turn themselves in.Each faces at least one charge of murder or attempted murder in shootings of six people on the Danziger Bridge.Outside the jail, uniformed officers from nearby districts and other supporters embraced the men and shook their hands and there was a final roar of applause as the seven entered the jail building.One protester shouted "Police killings must stop" and "Racism must go." But the anti-police protesters were shouted down by the crowd yelling "Heroes, Heroes[/b]."The cops turned themselves in after the city's police union urged its members to support the officers.Last Thursday, a grand jury indicted the officers on murder or attempted murder charges stemming from the Sept. 4, 2005 shootings on the bridge that killed two men and wounded four other people.All seven officers reported to jail as a group on Tuesday, attorneys for two of the officers said Monday. The Fraternal Order of Police encouraged other rank-and-file officers to gather outside the jail to show their support for the officers when they arrive."You can expect to see a tremendous amount of support from fellow officers," said Franz Zibilich, attorney for former officer Robert Faulcon, who resigned from the force after the shootings.Faulcon, Sgt. Kenneth Bowen and officers Robert Gisevius and Anthony Villavaso are charged with first-degree murder. Officers Robert Barrios and Mike Hunter were charged with attempted first-degree murder, and Ignatius Hills was charged with attempted second-degree murder.A judge said there would be no bond for the four accused of first-degree murder. Bond will be $100,000 per count for the other three officers.The officers are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. At that hearing, lawyers for the four officers charged with first-degree murder plan to seek bond for their clients, according to Zibilich and Frank DeSalvo, Bowen's attorney.A first-degree murder conviction carries a possible death sentence. A spokesman for District Attorney Eddie Jordan said Monday that prosecutors haven't decided yet whether to seek the death penalty in the case.Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19, were shot and killed on the bridge. The coroner said Madison was shot seven times, with five wounds in the back.[/b]The facts of what happened on the Danziger Bridge remain murky. Police say that the officers were responding to a report of other officers down, and that they thought Madison had been reaching for a gun.Madison's brother, Lance, who was cleared by the grand jury of attempted murder charges, denies he or his brother were armed.Lance Madison said he and his brother were running from a group of teens who had opened fire on the bridge when seven men jumped out of a rental truck and also began firing at them without warning. The men didn't identify themselves as police officers, Madison said.On Friday, the department suspended the officers without pay pending the outcome of the case and a review by Police Superintendent Warren Riley."

Brian

twoply

According to NBC news, the officers still insist they were being fired upon. They didn't mention exactly how two unarmed men managed to fire on them.

bull_ox

There was a pretty indepth NPR piece on this story a while back... they interviewed everyone who would speak on it that was there and it was a terribly fucked up story

Sad to say I'm impressed that they've even been charged

twoply

it was a terribly fucked up story

Exactly. To be clear: I'm not saying the cops are 100% guilty. In the aftermath of Katrina, it is unlikely that anyone was thinking with total clarity. If there were other people firing nearby, it is conceivable that the cops could get confused. Still, if I accidentally killed a retarded person and people started calling me a hero, I would probably want to take my own life.

Mad Drama Teacher

A disastrous and tragic event, but what did you expect the police union and frat to do?

day

A disastrous and tragic event, but what did you expect the police union and frat to do?

Maybe not celebrate an unarmed mentally retarded man being shot in the back.

LaserWolf

Do you know if they are facing federal or state charges? The only way an Oregon police officer would ever face charges would be if a the Feds stepped in and charged them.

Mad Drama Teacher

A disastrous and tragic event, but what did you expect the police union and frat to do?

Maybe not celebrate an unarmed mentally retarded man being shot in the back.

I don't really think anyone is celebrating that.

twoply

A disastrous and tragic event, but what did you expect the police union and frat to do?

Maybe not celebrate an unarmed mentally retarded man being shot in the back.

I don't really think anyone is celebrating that.

Although calling these men "heroes" certainly implies a strong indifference to the tragedy they helped to cause.

the_average_man

why did it take over a year to bring them in?

cholera

I've never been able to find out more info than just the basics on this story. Does anyone have a detailed account on what exactly happened here? I've basically read the same brief story a few times over. For a story of this proportion, I haven't seen too much info. I guess it's just one story in the chaotic aftermath of Katrina.

Cosmo

The story... Check it

cholera

The story... Check it

I just wanted to urge EVERYONE to read this. Thanks for sharing this, Cosmo. It really got to me...

The_Hook_Up

although I usually do not advocate violence...it would be hard for me to resist taking a baseball bat to the heads of the Jefferson County Sheriff, and the Gretna Police Chief....repeatedly , if given the opportunity....fucking scumbags.

day

I heard about this story shortly after Katrina. This is a picture of Ronald Madison's brother that same day. The look on his face has haunted me ever since.

LaserWolf

I heard about this story shortly after Katrina. This is a picture of Ronald Madison's brother that same day. The look on his face has haunted me ever since.

So were these people shot trying to leave NO? I understand the police say they were fired on and so forth, but was the crowd trying to get out of NO when the shooting started?

Young_Phonics

A disastrous and tragic event, but what did you expect the police union and frat to do?

Maybe not celebrate an unarmed mentally retarded man being shot in the back.

I don't really think anyone is celebrating that.

you sound white.

pcmr

The story... Check it

I just wanted to urge EVERYONE to read this. Thanks for sharing this, Cosmo. It really got to me...

Every american citizen should read this simply to get a true idea of what happened (as a ressource management and institutional failure) and avoid randomnly labelling then forgetting the gravity of the issue

"katrina..remember that...oh yeah"

day

I heard about this story shortly after Katrina. This is a picture of Ronald Madison's brother that same day. The look on his face has haunted me ever since.

So were these people shot trying to leave NO? I understand the police say they were fired on and so forth, but was the crowd trying to get out of NO when the shooting started?

Lance says that on that Sunday morning, he and Ronald -- their homes flooded -- were crossing the bridge on their way to another brother's dental office where they were staying after the storm.

Lance says there was a group of teenagers near the bridge shooting at people. He says that when the police arrived, they never identified themselves before opening fire.

"And we just kept running up the bridge, and that's when I noticed one of the guy's jumped out of the truck had a rifle pointing towards me and my little brother, and shot my brother in the right shoulder," Madison says.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6063982