The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[jimmy olsen]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-tamir-rice-investigation-documents-20150613-story.html

Loehmann and his partner, Frank Garmback, did not cooperate with the Sheriff's Department during its investigation, according to Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Assn. The officers did make statements to Cleveland police internal affairs and homicide investigators on the day of the shooting, Loomis previously told The Times.

...

This week, a Cleveland municipal judge found probable cause to charge Loehmann with murder and several other offenses, but the decision is advisory; whether to prosecute is likely to rest with a county grand jury. No charges have yet been filed.

Though the ruling has no legal bearing on the case, experts have said the fact that a sitting judge found probable cause to charge the officers could influence grand jurors, who unlike trial jurors are allowed to review media reports of a pending criminal matter.

[jimmy olsen]

What the fuck? 

http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/06/wife_shot_by_neptune_police_officer_dies.html

Neptune cop charged with shooting, killing ex-wife in front of daughter

— Fueled by a child custody dispute, a recently divorced Neptune Township police officer shot and killed his former wife in broad daylight on Tuesday in front of their daughter on an Asbury Park street, authorities said.

Phillip Seidle, 51, a 22-year veteran with the Neptune Township Police Department, was charged with murder in the shooting death of his ex-wife Tamara Seidle on Sewall Avenue, said First Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Marc LeMieux

Seidle, a sergeant with the police department, was arrested after he fired several shots into his ex-wife's car  after a short chase through Asbury Park

At around 11:30 a.m., Asbury Park police officers responded to an unrelated car crash at Sewall and Ridge avenues, LeMieux said. Officers on scene then saw a 2012 black Volkswagen Jetta being driven by Tamara Seidle turn onto Sewall Avenue. Behind it, LeMieux said, was Phillip Seidle in a 2005 Honda Pilot.

The couple's 7-year-old daughter was in Phillip Seidle's passenger seat, he said.

Tamara Seidle crashed her Jetta into an unoccupied green Ford Focus, LeMieux said. At that time, LeMieux said, Phillip Seidle got out of his car, took out his .40- caliber Glock service handgun and fired "several" shots into Tamara's Seidle's car.

Phillip Seidle then put the gun to his head and started pacing around the area of Tamara Seidle's Jetta, LeMieux said.

LeMieux said officers were able to talk Phillip Seidle into handing over the couple's daughter. Once the daughter was in police custody, Phillip Seidle then fired more shots at Tamara Seidle through her front windshield, he said.

Neighbors who witnessed the shooting said Phillip Seidle crashed his car into the back of his ex-wife's car before jumping out and getting in a brief argument with her.

Several times during the standoff, Phillip Seidle complained to police about not being able to see his children as much as he wanted, the neighbors said.

"He said, "You guys don't understand. I'm tired of paying alimony. I don't get to see my children,'" said the witness, who asked not to be identified.

During the standoff, Phillip Seidle held the gun to his head with his right hand while talking to someone on a cellphone he was holding in his left hand, the witness said.

The standoff came to an end after police officers, on one side of Sewall Avenue, slid a small black box about the size of an individual cupcake box to Seidle, who was standing on the other side of the street, the witness said.

After looking at the object, he raised his arms over his head and walked out into the street to surrender, the witness said. The witness said police officers surrounded Seidle, who was "bawling his eyes out." While taking him into custody, some of the officers hugged him and patted him comfortingly on the back, the witness said.

Neighbors said Phillip Seidle was known to residents in the area, which is on the border of Neptune Township, because he worked security at a Neptune business.

Officers were able to arrest Phillip Seidle shortly before noon, LeMieux said. He was brought to a satellite office of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office in Asbury Park.

LeMieux said Phillip Seidle was known to the officers on scene. When asked why officers didn't use force against Seidle while he fired off a second round of shots in police presence, LeMiuex said that's "under investigation at this point in time."

Phillip Seidle was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon of unlawful purpose and endangering the welfare of a child.

The couple's divorce was final on May 27, LeMieux said. The couple was having issues over their children and Phillip Seidle wanted to speak with his ex-wife about being able to talk with his children more often, LeMieux said.

LeMieux said Tamara Seidle had custody over their nine children, who range in age from 7 to 24. Neighbors said two of the children had recently graduated from school.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the Seidle children and to the family of Tamara Seidle," LeMieux, speaking at a press conference, said. "The police department is concerned for the well-being of the entire Seidle family in this difficult time."

He said the Neptune Police Department is committed to providing support and assistance to the Seidle family.

Tamara Seidle owned a house on Heritage Court in Neptune, property records show.

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said Seidle and his wife had been estranged for at least a year.

"She was a nice person," the neighbor said. "She loved her children. She always wanted to be a mother and she worked hard for them."

Phillip Seidle recently received a Monmouth County 200 Club valor award for being one of 13 officers who helped secure eight arrests in an October 2014 armed robbery in town.

Phillip Seidle is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Facility in Freehold Township on $2 million bail with no 10 percent option. If convicted of murder, he is facing a minimum sentence of 30 years in a New Jersey state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

[11B4V]

Cops go loony too, Tim.

[jimmy olsen]

 My was over the fact that the police did nothing to subdue this guy. Apparently a 12 year old black kid with a toy gun is deserving of summary execution, but a cop that goes nuts and starts gunning people down is treated with kid gloves.

http://www.app.com/story/news/crime/jersey-mayhem/2015/06/17/neptune-cop-kills-ex-wife/28855209/

Could victim in Neptune cop shooting have been saved?

Andrew Ford and  Paul D'Ambrosio, Asbury Park Press

After watching murder suspect and Neptune police Sgt. Philip Seidle shoot his ex-wife several times, officers used no force to stop him from firing a second barrage, eyewitnesses said and authorities confirmed.

Tamara Seidle, the victim and ex-wife of Philip Seidle, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux.

The first shots, he said, flew when the officer fired his service weapon, a high-powered .40-caliber Glock, several times into the driver's side of her car. She was shot again when he walked to the front of her car and fired through the windshield.

Officers on the scene recognized Seidle, LeMieux said.

When asked by the Asbury Park Press why no police force was used to stop Seidle from firing his weapon a second time, LeMieux responded by saying "that is under investigation."


Two eyewitnesses interviewed by the Press said that the first Asbury Park police officer on the scene did not draw his weapon while the first set of shots were being fired into the car. The eyewitnesses did not want to be identified but showed videos that confirmed they were near the scene of the shooting.

The eyewitnesses said police knew that the Seidles' 7-year-old daughter was in the front passenger seat of Philip Seidle's Honda Pilot and were trying to creep up behind the car to rescue her.

Raw video taken by a third eyewitness appears to show two police officers, guns drawn, shielding themselves behind a vehicle as four shots are fired into the driver's side of Tamara's car. At least one officer points his weapon at the shooter as the firing stops.

LeMieux said Seidle had put his gun to his head after firing the first round of shots, and police negotiated with him to let the child go. After the child was taken to safety, LeMieux said, Seidle moved to the front of his ex-wife's car and fired multiple shots again.

Social media users from Facebook to Twitter criticized the lack of force and wondered if police showed restraint because Seidle was a fellow officer.

"The cops had plenty of time to take him down, but instead, allowed him to continue with his gun in his hand until he shot the woman and then they still did nothing? Even after the guy fired his gun? You know goddamn well, if we fired our gun, we woulda been killed. ... That poor woman had a chance...," a Facebook user identified as Jennifer LJ wrote.

Others said Seidle "is a great cop. He has been a support to families with autistic kids. He has kept a hot spot calm in Neptune for years," wrote a person who identified herself on Facebook as Sofia Guerra, owner/editor at Always Catholic.

LeMieux did not say when the investigation into the shooting would be concluded.


At the scene, police guided Siedle into an unmarked Chevrolet Impala. An officer sat beside him in the back seat as they drove away.

[DGuller]

I'm glad police are finally starting to get the message that maybe they shouldn't blow away the suspect first and ask questions later.  Now, granted, if the guy is in the process of finishing off his wife, firing at him may be a more appropriate action than giving him a hug, but baby steps.

[jimmy olsen]

Autopsy report of Freddie Gray has been leaked

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/freddie-gray-autopsy-shows-high-energy-injury-report-says-n380581

[LaCroix]

I am pretty sure the cop thought he was driving up on some 20something gang banger with a gun, and was all jacked up about being in a situation where he can justifiably use his weapon and be a hero saving the people from some clearly dangerous guy.

i imagine most cops go into dangerous situations afraid rather than excited

[DGuller]

I am pretty sure the cop thought he was driving up on some 20something gang banger with a gun, and was all jacked up about being in a situation where he can justifiably use his weapon and be a hero saving the people from some clearly dangerous guy.

i imagine most cops go into dangerous situations afraid rather than excited

I don't know if that's true, but in any case, most cops do not shoot people they shouldn't be shooting.

[LaCroix]

what i meant was cops should be presumed to have done the correct thing until it's proven otherwise. if there are problems with police administration, fix that administration. but the guys on the ground shouldn't be blamed, though they usually are.

[garbon]

what i meant was cops should be presumed to have done the correct thing until it's proven otherwise. if there are problems with police administration, fix that administration. but the guys on the ground shouldn't be blamed, though they usually are.

[Syt]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b50268111f064a7aab88a0d1409d5096/da-its-too-early-know-how-woman-died-texas-jail-cell

Video shows how traffic stop escalated into confrontation

HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) — A police dashboard video released Tuesday shows that a Texas state trooper tried to pull a black motorist out of her car, then drew his stun gun and threatened her after she refused to follow his orders during a traffic stop.

The roadside encounter swiftly escalated into a shouting confrontation as the officer attempted to drag 28-year-old Sandra Bland from her vehicle, with the officer at one point saying, "I will light you up," as he held the stun gun.

Days later, Bland was found dead in a jail cell in a case that has caused her family and supporters to dispute that she hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag, as authorities have said.

The video posted by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows the trooper stopping Bland for failure to signal a lane change. After he hands her a written warning, the trooper remarks that Bland seems irritated. The Illinois woman replies that she is irritated because she had changed lanes to make way for the trooper's car.

The conversation quickly turns hostile when the officer asks Bland to put out her cigarette and she asks why she can't smoke in her own car. The trooper then orders Bland to get out of the vehicle. She refuses, and he tells her she is under arrest.



Further refusals to get out bring a threat from the trooper to drag her out. He then pulls out a stun gun and makes the threat about lighting Bland up.

When she finally steps out of the vehicle, the trooper orders her to the side of the road. There, the confrontation continues off-camera but is still audible. The two keep yelling at each other as the officer tries to put Bland in handcuffs and waits for other troopers to arrive.

Out of the camera's view, Bland goes on protesting her arrest, repeatedly using expletives and calling the officer a "pussy." She screams that he's about to break her wrists and complains that he knocked her head into the ground.

Her death comes after nearly a year of heightened national scrutiny of police and their dealings with black suspects, especially those who have been killed by officers.

The case has resonated on social media, with posts questioning the official account and featuring the hashtags #JusticeForSandy and #WhatHappenedToSandyBland. Others referred to #SandySpeaks, the hashtag Bland used in monologues she posted on Facebook in which she talked about police brutality and said she had a calling from God to speak out against racism and injustice.

In an affidavit released Tuesday, the trooper said that after handcuffing her for becoming combative, she swung her elbows at him and kicked him in his right shin.

Trooper Brian Encinia said he then used force "to subdue Bland to the ground," and she continued to fight back. He arrested her for assault on a public servant.

The trooper, who has been on the force for just over a year, has been placed on administrative leave for violating unspecified police procedures and the Department of Public Safety's courtesy policy. The agency would not address questions about whether the trooper acted appropriately by drawing his stun gun or pulling her out of the vehicle.

"Regardless of the situation — it doesn't matter where it happens — a DPS state trooper has got an obligation to exhibit professionalism and be courteous ... and that wasn't the case in this situation," said Steven McCraw, the department director.

A law enforcement expert from Maryland said he was troubled by the video "from start to finish."

Vernon Herron, a senior policy analyst with the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, said if the trooper intended to give her a warning, that's what he should have done, no matter what the woman said to him.

"A person's attitude or their demeanor is not probable cause to make an arrest," said Herron, who has more than 35 years of experience in public safety and law enforcement.

Bland was taken to the Waller County Jail about 60 miles northwest of Houston on July 10 and found dead July 13. A Texas Rangers investigation into her death is being supervised by the FBI.

Although a medical examiner has ruled Bland's death a suicide, supporters insist she was upbeat and looking forward to a new job at Prairie View A&M University, where she graduated in 2009. Bland's family and clergy members have called for a Justice Department probe, and an independent autopsy has been ordered.

At a memorial service Tuesday night at Bland's alma mater, her mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, reiterated that she doesn't believe Bland took her own life. She also spoke of her grief, saying, "I have a baby to put in the ground."

Bland posted a video to her Facebook page in March, saying she was suffering from "a little bit of depression as well as PTSD," or post-traumatic stress disorder. Family members have said nothing in her background suggested she was mentally troubled, and at least one friend said she was just venting after a bad day.

Court records show Bland had several encounters with police in both Illinois and Texas over the past decade, including repeated traffic stops and two arrests for drunk driving, one of which was later dismissed.

She was also charged twice with possession of a small amount of marijuana. A 2009 case was dismissed, but she pleaded guilty last year to the other charge and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

A decade earlier, in June 2004, Bland was charged with one count of retail theft of less than $150 in Elmhurst, Illinois. She pleaded guilty and was fined.

The Waller County Sheriff's Office has acknowledged violating state rules on jail training and the monitoring of inmates.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards last week cited the jail for not providing documents proving that jailers in the past year had undergone training on interacting with inmates who are mentally disabled or potentially suicidal.

The citation also showed that jailers fell short by not observing inmates in person at least once every hour.

[Syt]

Meanwhile, in California:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-federal-judge-orders-release-of-videos-20150714-story.html#page=1

This is the shooting video Gardena police didn't want you to see

The day after the release of videos showing Gardena police officers shooting two unarmed men, one fatally, the survivor and the deceased victim's brother called for a deeper investigation into the Gardena Police Department.

The brother of Ricardo Diaz Zeferino, who was killed in the 2013 shooting, spoke in front of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles on Wednesday as he clutched a copy of a photo of him and his brother.

"Nothing is sufficient, not even the money. A life is more important than the money," said Augustin Reynoso, Diaz Zeferino's brother. "I want the Gardena Police Department to be investigated more deeply. That's why I'm here, for justice."

Reynoso was joined by his family's attorney, Sonia Mercado, as well as Eutiquio Mendez, who was wounded in the shooting, and Mendez's attorney, R. Samuel Paz.

The attorneys called for the Department of Justice to investigate the Gardena Police Department.

"We have asked for an investigation into the civil rights violations by these officers, which we think merits a prosecution," Paz said. "We hope this case will become an example ... of what a police department should not be doing."

The U.S. attorney's office said it was "reviewing the matter" but had not formally opened an investigation. "As of this time, there is no investigation," spokesman Thom Mrozek said.

Video of the shooting that killed Diaz Zeferino was unsealed by a federal judge Tuesday after months of legal battles between the city and media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times.

The grainy videos, captured by cameras mounted in two patrol cars, show three men mistakenly suspected of stealing a bicycle standing in a street under the glare of police lights. With their weapons trained on the men, officers scream at them to keep their hands up.

While two of the men in the videos remain motionless, Diaz Zeferino appears confused by the officers' instructions. He drops and raises his arms repeatedly, showing the officers his hands and stepping backward and then forward a few paces. A laser dot from an officers' pistol can be seen on his shirt. After Diaz Zeferino removes a baseball cap from his head, officers standing to the side of the men unleash a volley of gunfire.

The videos show Diaz Zeferino, 35, collapsing to the ground, along with Mendez, who was wounded.

At Wednesday's news conference, Mercado said Diaz Zeferino had gone for a beer and to play pool around midnight June 2, 2013, after working 12 hours. He was later shot eight times by police.

"Mr. Ricardo Diaz Zeferino was a human being," Mercado said. "We're here so the Department of Justice will investigate this Police Department. Enough."

Diaz Zeferino worked in a restaurant 12 hours a day, seven days a week and helped support his parents and his two sisters — one who had an amputated leg and one who was studying to be a nurse, Reynoso said Wednesday.

"He was a good brother," said Reynoso, whose bicycle was stolen the night of the shooting.

Mendez, who still has a bullet fragment lodged next to his spine, also spoke briefly. Mendez said Diaz Zeferino had been cooperating with police that night and was trying to tell them that the two other men were not the bicycle thieves.

The police didn't listen to him, Mendez recounted.

"I feel nervous being here, but I want justice and an investigation. What they did to us isn't just," Mendez said. "They said they were going to investigate, but nothing's been done and the police continue working.

"I'm still traumatized by what happened. I'm not doing well," Mendez said. "I know I'm never going to be OK."

Mendez said that when Diaz Zeferino was shot, he heard him fall and say, "... I won't see you again."

And then Mendez fell unconscious, he said.

Mercado said the family called for the U.S. Department of Justice to set up an independent unit to investigate police shootings nationwide.

"Today we ask that they begin with the Gardena Police Department," Mercado said.

In unsealing the videos Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson said the public had an interest in seeing the recordings, especially after the city settled a lawsuit over the shooting for $4.7 million. Wilson rejected last-ditch efforts by Gardena attorneys, who argued the city had paid the settlement money in the belief that the videos would remain under seal.

The "defendants' argument backfires here — the fact that they spent the city's money, presumably derived from taxes, only strengthens the public's interest in seeing the videos," Wilson wrote. "Moreover, while the videos are potentially upsetting and disturbing because of the events they depict, they are not overly gory or graphic in a way that would make them a vehicle for improper purposes."

The judge's decision was a response to a request from The Times, the Associated Press and Bloomberg, which challenged a blanket protective order that had prevented the release of the videos and other evidence in the court case.

Wilson's decision comes as law enforcement agencies nationwide increasingly have embraced the use of cameras worn by officers and placed in patrol cars to record police interactions with civilians. But few agencies have made their videos public, spurring a debate over the need to balance the privacy of those captured on the recordings and transparency in policing.

After ordering the videos to be released, Wilson denied a request from Gardena attorneys that he set aside his order as they pursued an appeal of his decision. The city then filed an emergency motion with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, asking it to intervene.

The Times, meanwhile, received copies of the videos from court officials. After The Times published the videos online, 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski issued an order that "the police car camera video footage shall remain under seal pending further order of this court."

Gardena Police Chief Ed Medrano released a statement late Tuesday describing the shooting as "tragic for all involved."

"We have thoroughly reviewed our response and have initiated new training, including the tactical use of cover techniques to slow down fast-moving events," he said.

He said Gardena police officers will soon be equipped with body cameras and that he continues to oppose publicly releasing recordings out of privacy concerns.

"Our police officers are entrusted with sensitive and extremely personal information and we often come in contact with people under tragic situations and at their worst," he said. "We worry about the implications of this decision and its impact on victims and average citizens who are recorded by the police."

The Gardena shooting occurred the night of June 2, 2013, after police responded to a call about a bicycle stolen from outside a CVS drugstore. A police dispatcher mistakenly told officers the crime was a robbery, which typically involves weapons or force.

A sergeant responding to the call saw two men riding bicycles near the store. Mistaking them for the thieves, the sergeant stopped the men, according to a memo written by a prosecutor from the L.A. County district attorney's office, who reviewed the case.

Diaz Zeferino ran up to join the other two men as police detained them. One patrol car video shows him continuing to walk toward his friends despite an officer shouting at him to stop. On the videos, officers can be heard repeatedly telling Diaz Zeferino to keep his hands up as he moves his arms up and down.

The three officers who opened fire — Christopher Mendez, Christopher Sanderson and Matthew Toda — were standing to the left side of the men.

The district attorney's office declined to file charges against the officers. Deputy Dist. Atty. Rosa Alarcon wrote in a memo about the shooting that Diaz Zeferino ignored police commands and that toxicology tests after his death were postive for alcohol and methamphetamine. His right hand, she wrote, was no longer visible from the officers' angle when they opened fire and it was reasonable for them to believe he was reaching for a weapon.

"They made a split-second decision and they were not required to hold fire in order to ascertain whether Diaz would, in fact, injure or kill them," she wrote.

When Diaz Zeferino's relatives and the other men filed a federal lawsuit against Gardena, attorneys for the men complained to Wilson that the city was dragging its feet in providing them with information about the shooting, according to Wilson's written ruling. Before turning anything over, attorneys for Gardena insisted on a protective order that would prevent the release of evidence in the case, Wilson wrote.

The city argued that the videos showed that Diaz Zeferino repeatedly ignored police commands and reached into his pockets and waistband area. But attorneys suing the city contended that the recordings showed a cold-blooded shooting of clearly unarmed men.

In May, when The Times first reported that the city had settled a civil rights lawsuit over the shooting, Medrano said the officers who opened fire were still on patrol. He said at the time that the department's internal investigation to determine whether discipline is warranted had been put on hold during the civil litigation.

Under California law, the outcome of the disciplinary investigation will remain confidential.

After settling the lawsuit, Diaz Zeferino's family and the other men supported the request of The Times and other media groups, saying the videos should be released. Gardena contended that releasing the video would deter police from using such cameras and would endanger the safety of its officers at a time of heightened public criticism of police killings.

The fact that the media groups needed an order from a federal judge to get access to the videos underscores the limited scope of California's laws on public records, said Peter Scheer, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition. The city had previously rejected The Times' request for the video.

Under the state's open records laws, Scheer said, Gardena police officials were well within their rights to keep the video footage secret.

"The take-away from this should be that California laws protecting police information and evidence are way too restrictive and make it too difficult to know what is going on," Scheer said.

[citizen k]

Ohio cop indicted on murder charge in traffic-stop shooting
Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — A University of Cincinnati officer who shot a motorist during a traffic stop over a missing front license plate has been indicted on murder charges, a prosecutor said Wednesday, adding that the officer "purposely killed him" and "should never have been a police officer."

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced the grand jury indictment at a news conference to discuss developments in the investigation into the July 19 shooting of 43-year-old motorist Samuel DuBose by Officer Ray Tensing.

Authorities have said Tensing spotted a car driven by DuBose and missing the front license plate, which is required by Ohio law. They say Tensing stopped the car and a struggle ensued after DuBose refused to provide a driver's license and get out of the car.

Tensing has said he was dragged by the car and forced to shoot at DuBose. He fired one shot, striking DuBose in the head.

But Deters dismissed Tensing's claim that he was dragged by the car and suggested that he shouldn't have pulled DuBose over to begin with.

"He fell backward after he shot (DuBose) in the head," Deters said, adding that it was a "chicken crap" traffic stop.

A warrant was issued for Tensing's arrest. Deters said Tensing could either turn himself in or officers could arrest him.

Tensing's attorney, Stewart Mathews, didn't immediately return phone messages seeking comment after Deters' announcement.

Mathews said earlier Wednesday that he thought an indictment was likely "given the political climate" and comments made by city officials. But Mathews said given the evidence he's seen, he doesn't believe there should be an indictment.

DuBose's death comes amid months of national scrutiny of police dealings with African-Americans, especially those killed by officers. DuBose was black. Tensing is white. Authorities haven't indicated whether race was a part of the investigation.

Body-camera video of the shooting was also released Wednesday. DuBose's family had been pressing for its release, and news organizations including The Associated Press had sued Deters to get it released under Ohio open records law, but Deters released it before any ruling had been made.

Deters called the shooting "senseless" and "asinine."

"He purposely killed him," Deters said. "He should never have been a police officer."

Deters said when he saw the video of the shooting, he was shocked.

"I feel so sorry for this family and what they lost," Deters said. "And I feel sorry for the community, too."

The prosecutor also had sharp words for the University of Cincinnati Police Department as a whole.

"I don't think a university should be in the policing business," Deters said.

A message for comment was left Wednesday with the UC police department. The university said earlier this week it plans an independent review of its police department's policies.

The UC officer made the traffic stop near the university's main campus, and UC police have said the intersection was within the campus police's jurisdiction.

The University of Cincinnati on Wednesday closed its main campus in anticipation of grand jury action in the case.

Mark O'Mara, attorney for DuBose's family, called for a "peaceful and nonaggressive" response from the community after the officer's indictment. O'Mara said the family wanted a peaceful reaction because "Sam was a peaceful person."

Tensing has more than five years of experience in law enforcement and has worked as a University of Cincinnati police officer since April 2014, said Jason Goodrich, UC police chief. His annual performance review this April noted that he was extremely strong in the traffic area and maintains control of his weapons and of "situations he is involved in."

Tensing formerly worked as an officer in the small Cincinnati suburban village of Greenhills

If convicted, Tensing could face up to life in prison.

[derspiess]

The video seemed pretty damning.  I'm still not sure how the situation escalated so quickly.  I'm guessing DuBose put his car in drive and was planning on driving off when the cop totally lost his shit and shot him in the head. 

[Liep]

Does it matter whether or not the driver should've been pulled over? If he fails to comply with very simple orders given by the police and then tries to drive away with a cop hanging in the window he's not without fault in this.

Going straight for your gun in this situation is way way too much though. Also leaning inside the car (I guess to turn the engine off) also is pretty fucking stupid.