REPORT:
A 31-year-old male was sleeping on a public bench. Two calls had already been made regarding his sleeping on the bench, and previous calls had determined that he was not violating any laws and no actions were taken. A third call was made and third, different officer arrived to talk to the 31-year-old. The officer attempted to complete a pat down on the man, who resisted. A physical confrontation occurred during which time the officer attempted to use his baton on the 31-year-old. During the confrontation, the 31-year-old reportedly obtained the baton and hit the officer on his neck. Upon the loss of his baton, the officer shot the 31-year-old a total of 14 times.
INVESTIGATION:
The District Attorney's office reviewed the account of this event and determined that the officer acted in self-defense, declining to press charges upon the officer after the review. A federal investigation was conducted as well regarding a potential criminal civil rights trial, but it was also determined that there was not enough evidence to proceed with charges. However, an internal investigation was conducted and it was a unanimous decision to fire the officer. This decision was supported with statements that the officer did not have reasonable suspicion to justify the frisk and did not follow the appropriate departmental actions for making an arrest. Civil charges went forward against the city from the family of the 31-year-old that were settled before a court hearing, awarding a large sum of money to the family of the deceased.
RESULTS:
No criminal charges were filed after the completion of three investigations. The officer was fired from his position at the precinct. No further consequences resulted from this event.
DISCLAIMER: The events described are actually the events that occurred resulting in the death of Dontre Hamilton. He was killed by Christopher Manney who faced minimal consequences for taking the life of an innocent man.
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