killings, assaults by police | Latest developments
DETROIT
A prosecutor filed charges Monday against a police officer who pulled a man from his car during a Detroit-area traffic stop and beat him. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said public confidence in law enforcement is “eroded” when officers abuse citizens.
Inkster officer William Melendez, who recently was fired, is charged with mistreatment of a prisoner and assault.
Floyd Dent, 57, was bloodied by repeated punches to the head during the January traffic stop, which came to light in March when a TV station obtained the police dashcam video.
TULSA
The Tulsa County volunteer deputy who shot and killed a suspect after mistaking his handgun for a stun gun was using an unauthorized weapon when he fired the fatal shot, lawyers for the dead man’s family said Monday.
In separate news conferences, the county sheriff and lawyers for the man killed by 73-year-old Robert Bates disagreed on whether the reserve officer should have been on the streets with a badge and a gun.
Sheriff Stanley Glanz said Bates, his longtime insurance agent, had been properly trained and passed annual firearms certifications required by the state.
Dan Smolen, a lawyer for Eric Harris’ family, said the sheriff’s office violated a number of its internal policies by letting Bates carry his personal handgun after training at the range on another weapon. Smolen also said the department failed to keep a permanent record of Bates’ training, a violation of local policies.
CLEVELAND
Prosecutors’ paid use-of-force expert said Monday a Cleveland police officer acted unreasonably when he climbed onto a police cruiser and the hood of a car to fire fatal shots at two unarmed suspects after a high-speed chase in November 2012.
The expert testified at the voluntary-manslaughter trial of patrolman Michael Brelo, who is on unpaid administrative leave.
CENTRAL PA.
A hearing is set for today on whether to bar the release of video in the case of the central Pennsylvania police officer charged in the shooting death of a motorist. The video is from a camera mounted on a stun gun.
Authorities say the video shows Hummelstown police officer Lisa Mearkle firing two bullets into the back of David Kassick, 59, as he lay face down after a traffic stop. Mearkle said she feared Kassick was reaching into his jacket for a gun. She is charged with criminal homicide.
Source: Associated Press