4 Cops, 2 Supervisors Charged Over Katrina Danziger Bridge Deaths
Four police officers and two supervisors have been federally indicted in a civil rights case over civilian deaths on the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Exactly what they have been charged with isn’t yet clear, reports CNN, and a news conference is planned by Attorney General Eric Holder to provide more details about the case.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune also doesn’t detail the charges, but says federal officials haven’t yet decided whether to seek the death penalty, apparently only as far as the four officers are concerned. The supervisors are accused of covering up the officers’ alleged wrongdoing.
A subsequent New York Times (reg. req.) article says all six of the current or former police officers were charged with obstruction of justice and the four officers on the scene were all charged in the killing of James Brissette, 17.
Additionally, one of the four was charged shooting in the back a 40-year-old mentally disabled man and another with kicking and stomping the victim as he lay dying on the ground.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com (Feb. 2010): “Cop Pleads in Katrina Shootings Probe; ‘Like a Script from Hollywood’”
ABAJournal.com (March 2010): “Judge Criticizes ‘Despicable Conduct’ by Police in Katrina Shootings Cover-up”
