Blogtown, PDX

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

News Do the Cops Have To Kill A Man For It To Be Illegal To Have Shot Him?

Posted by Matt Davis on Tue, Sep 4 at 3:21 PM

Portland Copwatch and the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center are asking the District Attorney’s office to convene a grand jury over the police shooting of Leslie Stewart, who was injured when a cop shot him through the window of his SE home last month.

The DA’s office told the Oregonian that is does not hold grand jury hearings in officer shootings if “no one was injured,” but in a letter sent last Friday to DA Mike Schrunk, Portland Copwatch activist Dan Handelman and Alejandro Queral of the NWCRC write: “Mr. Stewart was injured, however minor it may be, either directly or indirectly by the bullet.”

“Regardless, the Oregon State Statute governing police use of deadly force requires that officers reasonably believe that there is an imminent threat to them or to another person,” the letter continues. ” It does not require that the officer’s use of deadly force result in an injury or death. Therefore, if Officer Stephanie Rabey’s shot through a window at Mr. Stewart was not justifiable under the statute, a crime has been committed.”

“We hope that your office will make a commitment to investigate and hold a grand jury hearing on every case where officers discharge weapons toward other human beings in the line of duty.”

“Please reconsider this decision, as it is crucial for the public to believe that our officers are being held to the strictest standards as they are given the power of life and death over the community.”

I don’t know about you, but I think I’d prefer it if the DA’s office looked into whether procedure was followed in this case. Still, who cares, right? It’s not like anybody died or anything…

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