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Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on December 30, 2006
Seven cops charged in post-Katrina shooting
Seven US police officers are facing charges in the fatal shooting of two men on a bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Seven US police officers are facing charges in the fatal shooting of two men on a bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A grand jury issued an indictment on Thursday after hearing weeks of testimony about the shootings, which became one of the most widely cited examples of the anarchy that gripped New Orleans after the storm.
District Attorney Eddie Jordan blamed the killings on trigger-happy officers. 8220;We cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs,8221; he said. Police Superintendent Warren Riley called his comments 8220;highly prejudicial and highly undignified.8221;
Six days after the hurricane struck on August 29, 2005, two men were killed and four people wounded on the Danziger Bridge. At the time, the sweltering city was still littered with corpses as rescuers tried to evacuate stranded residents and looters ransacked stores. Police initially said the shootings occurred after shots were fired at Army Corps of Engineers workers.
The victims were Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old mentally retarded man, and James Brissette, 19. The coroner said Madison was shot seven times, with five wounds in the back.
More than 200 officers were disciplined after Katrina for various offences, including failure to show up for work. Some were accused of looting.
8211;STACEY PLAISANCE
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