Boston Police investigating double shooting

Boston Police investigating double shooting

June 20, 2011 3:11 PM
By Globe Staff

Boston police are investigating a double shooting in Dorchester this afternoon that has left one person with life threatening injuries, police said.

One of the victims was driven to Boston Medical Center for treatment of gunshot wounds.

The site of the original shooting is at Talbot Avenue and Blue Hill Avenue, a law enforcement official said. The call came at 2:38 p.m., police said.

FULL STORY HERE:
http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/06/boston-police-investigating-possibly-fatal-shooting/8ryK5TvMOVR3JHG3XoRwiO/index.html?p1=News_links

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Judges rips gun access at sentencing of ‘career criminal’

Judges rips gun access at sentencing of ‘career criminal’

By Laura Crimaldi  |   Wednesday, April 27, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

A Hub judge disgusted by easy access to guns on city streets sentenced a Dorchester “career criminal” to 14 to 15 years behind bars today for paralyzing a 19-year-old who was trying to shield his younger brother from gunfire.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly said the confrontation that left Joao Perreira without the full use of his legs would have only been a quickly forgotten fist fight if the suspect did not have an illegal .357 magnum.

“This was a very, very serious crime that I’m sure nobody thought was going to happen that night,” Connolly said before sentencing Daunte Beal, 23. “Once again the availability of guns. Guns, guns. guns. If the guns were not available this would have never have happened. ... The availability of guns is the biggest problem in this city.”

Perreira and his brother, Ovidido, then 15, were at a birthday party on July 13, 2008, when the shooting took place, prosecutors said.

Beal shot at Perreira and his brother after a confrontation with a group of people who threw bottles at Beal’s car. One bottle shattered a car window and struck Beal in the head, drawing blood, prosecutors said.

That incident was preceded by a verbal argument earlier in the evening that was settled amicably, prosecutors said. Authorities said Beal drove to the Howard Avenue party after that confrontation and threatened to slap anyone who had a problem.

After being struck, Beal got out of his car carrying a .357 magnum revolver, prosecutors said. The Perreira brothers and another man ran to the back of a nearby building as Beal tailed them, firing twice. The brothers ran to a porch and tried to open a locked door to escape. Prosecutors said Beal fired three more times at the brothers from 6 to 8 feet away. A bullet struck Jaoa Perreira in the lower back, leaving him in a wheelchair most of the time, prosecutors said.

The brothers did not attend the sentencing.

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Janezic asked for a harsher sentence that would have put Beal away for 29 to 30 years. Under career criminal laws, Beal had to serve a minimum of 10 years because of his prior convictions for assault and battery, cocaine possession and assault and battery on a public employee, Janezic said.

Beal, dressed in a sweater, dress shirt, neck tie and eye glasses, waved to his parents and siblings as he was led away in handcuffs and leg shackles.

His father, Leon Beal, said his son is innocent and appealing the jury’s decision.

“I don’t see how he was found guilty,” he said. “I have sympathy for (Perreira) but my concern is for my child.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1333704

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Ex-gangbanger helps rid Dorchester of his shooter

Ex-gangbanger helps rid Dorchester of his shooter

VALIANT: Tramane Smith struggles to maintain his emotions inside Suffolk Superior Court yesterday prior to the sentencing of Donald Williams, inset.
Photo by Patrick Whittemore
By Peter Gelzinis  |   Saturday, April 23, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

The good people of Dorchester will not have to worry about Donald Ray Williams haunting the Greenwood Street area for the next 35 or 40 years.

Should he survive prison to return one day, the gang leader called “Mann” will be nudging 70. By then, maybe he will have outgrown the desire to shoot people in the back, the way he did to Tramane Smith.

“I know there is no honor among thieves,” Smith wrote in his victim impact statement, “but what you did to me was beyond that. I loved you like a brother.”

The 24-year-old Smith declined to read those words aloud yesterday. He opted to remain in the back of a Suffolk courtroom, confined to the wheelchair that Mann, once his best friend, put him in.

Though Tramane was two years younger and a bit shorter than the skinny friend who ruled over the Greenwood Street Packers, he functioned as Mann’s true muscle.

“(Tramane) was a tough kid who could handle himself,” one cop noted yesterday. “Williams couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag. But he’d shoot you in a second.”

“Everywhere I was,” Smith said, during two full days on the witness stand, “he (Mann) was.”

On the night of Nov. 24, 2007, Tramane Smith told Mann he was leaving the gang. To prove it, he returned the .40-caliber pistol his friend had given him.

For a couple of hours, Tramane thought he’d actually made it out, until the moment he heard a shot and couldn’t feel his legs. Mann fired two more bullets into his friend’s back, then moved in closer. Just before shooting him in the face, Mann sneered over the friend he thought was about to die, “(expletive, expletive) ... that’s what you get.”

All of 20 at the time, Tramane Smith managed to grab his cell phone and call his girlfriend to say he was dying. He then instructed her to get a message to his brother: “Tell my brother that Mann shot me.”

It’s not every day that Suffolk DA Dan Conley and Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis sit side-by-side at a sentencing hearing. But then, it’s not every day a paralyzed ex-gangbanger helps rid the city of a one-man crime wave.

Conley called it a “watershed moment,” one that could help change the landscape of intimidation that has held places like Greenwood Street hostage.

Davis suggested that perhaps Tramane Smith’s resolve went beyond his paralysis. Before he was gunned down and left for dead, his cousin, Charles Bunch, was killed.

Two weeks earlier, Bunch had stepped out of a car Smith was sitting in, walked a block to randomly gun down the first person he saw on rival turf — and wound up shooting innocent 13-year-old Steven Odom. Tramane Smith told this jury that he was disgusted with his cousin’s act, calling him a “kid killer” to his face.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Davis sighed, “if that was one of the prime reasons this kid wanted out of the gang life. He’d had enough.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1332716

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Some Brockton police officers object to fundraiser in memory of Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry of Easton Brockton officer warned after using work email to complain about Taunton event

Some Brockton police officers object to fundraiser in memory of Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry of Easton
Brockton officer warned after using work email to complain about Taunton event

Wayne Dozier of Boston, left, grandfather of college football player Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., who was shot and killed by a police officer, wipes his eyes as Jamele Dozier, Danroy’s uncle, holds a photo of the football player during a news conference in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood on Thursday.

By Vicki-Ann Downing


Enterprise Staff Writer
Posted Apr 22, 2011 @ 06:00 AM

BROCKTON —
A  Brockton police officer used his work email to send a message to a restaurant holding a benefit to honor the late Danroy “DJ” Henry of Easton, asking when a similar event would be held for the police officers involved in Henry’s fatal shooting in New York.

“Please let me know when the benefit is being held for the two police officers that were struck and killed by the drunk driver,” wrote Patrolman Scott D. Uhlman. “I will charter a bus and fill it up with people who would spend money at Uno’s for a good cause.”

The three-day fundraiser, held in February at Uno Chicago Grill in Taunton, raised $5,000 for the DJ Dream Fund, a nonprofit group founded by the Henry family that will award money to children younger than 18 for the purchase of sports equipment and to pay athletic fees and gym memberships.

Henry, 20, a student at Pace University, was shot and killed by police on Oct. 17 in a shopping plaza in suburban New York. His family on Wednesday filed a wrongful-death civil suit against one police officer and the village that employed him.

That officer, Aaron Hess, was named “Officer of the Year” last week by his union. Police contend DJ Henry was drunk and drove his car at Hess, who landed on the hood and shot through the windshield.

Uhlman’s email, which incorrectly said that police were “killed” in the Henry incident, was one of many received from law enforcement personnel after the fundraiser for the “DJ Dream Fund” was reported on The Enterprise website, the Henry family said.

Another Brockton police officer, Jason Ford, a decorated Iraq War veteran, wrote Uno’s from his home email account, not his work account.

“As a longtime and faithful patron of your restaurant, I would like to know when the benefit for the two New York police officers DJ Henry ran down while underage, intoxicated, refusing to obey the lawful orders and attempting to flee” will be, Ford wrote. “I would love to attend the benefit for those officers.”

The emails from police to Uno’s led Henry’s father, Dan Henry of Easton, to write a letter of complaint to Brockton Mayor Linda M. Balzotti.

“My family and I recently learned of the concerns expressed by several of your officers in advance of a Dream Fund fundraiser held at the Uno’s in Taunton,” Henry wrote. “Why they would object to a fund that will enable youth throughout Massachusetts to afford sports equipment, pay participation fees and afford gym memberships is troubling to us.

“As we intend to both fund-raise and distribute funds to those in need living in Brockton, we hope that you can assure us that this was an isolated incident and that the Dream Fund will be welcomed in Brockton.”
Balzotti did not respond to Henry’s letter. The mayor’s office said this week that Balzotti considered the letter “informational” and the issue to be a “personnel matter” that she brought to the attention of the Police Chief William Conlon.

Conlon said he issued a warning about the matter, but did not discipline anyone.
“People were told that whatever their opinions may be, they can’t use emails from here to express them,” Conlon said. “They were warned about the future use of computers in that fashion.”
Conlon called the Henry case “a very unfortunate situation that inflamed a lot of passions on both sides, and I think it’s best if we stay out of it. It’s a tragic story and very sad for the family.”

After the emails were received by Uno’s in Taunton, the corporate office in Boston asked the event organizers to write a letter to Uno’s chief operating officer, Roger L. Zingle, explaining that the money raised would be used to benefit children, not for the Henry family or its legal expenses.
The goal was to “be sure there was no misunderstanding,” said Rick Hendrie, senior vice president of marketing for Uno’s.

He said the company received “a very, very modest rumbling” of complaint about the Henry fundraiser.
The event “went without a hitch,” Hendrie said. “It was a great event. The restaurant was festive ... It’s part of what we do to support the community.”

Uhlman acknowledged that he made a mistake in using his work email to write Uno’s.
“I was a little distraught that a police officer was severely injured (in the Henry incident) and may never walk again,” Uhlman said. “I sympathize with the family that their son died, but what about the police officer that may never walk again or hold a job again?”

Hess, the officer who shot Henry, underwent knee surgery following the incident and is expected to return to work soon, his union said last week.

Ford, the other Brockton officer who sent an email about the fundraiser, could not be reached for comment.

Vicki-Ann Downing may be reached at vdowning@enterprisenews.com.


Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/archive/x1294651442/Some-Brockton-police-officers-object-to-fundraiser-in-memory-of-Danroy-DJ-Henry-of-Easton#ixzz1KG0W0c8J

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Pace student’s kin file wrongful death lawsuit

Pace student’s kin file wrongful death lawsuit

Photo by Steven Senne
By Marie Szaniszlo and Laura Crimaldi  |   Thursday, April 21, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

The Easton family of a slain Pace University football player said a wrongful death suit filed yesterday in federal court, accusing a New York police officer of “reckless disregard for human life” in his shooting, is intended to force the release of information on the case.

The lawsuit claims Pleasantville Police officer Aaron Hess violated Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr.’s civil rights when Henry was shot outside a local bar.

“The one thing we want most, we can’t have,” Danroy Henry Sr. told the Herald yesterday. “We will never have our son back. But this gives us subpoena power to gain access to information we have been denied.”

The family is seeking Hess’ testimony about the shooting, his personnel file, 911 recordings and video from businesses at the scene the night of the shooting, he said.

The suit, which also names the village of Pleasantville as a defendant, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Henry, a junior at Pace, was leaving a homecoming game celebration at the bar Oct. 17, when he was shot.

Neither Hess nor Village Administrator Patricia Dwyer could be reached yesterday for comment.

Authorities said Henry, 20, was fatally shot when he ignored police instructions to stop his vehicle and headed directly at Hess, forcing him onto the hood. The officer fired four shots to protect himself, police said, before he was thrown to the ground.

But several witnesses disputed that account, saying Henry drove away because an officer had ordered him to leave the fire lane. Those witnesses said Hess jumped in front of the vehicle, and Henry did not have enough time to stop. Henry was handcuffed and put on the sidewalk, where he lay dying, according to their testimony.

A grand jury declined to indict Hess. But the U.S. Justice Department is investigating.

Earlier this month, the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association named Hess, who underwent knee surgery, “Officer of the Year,” an honor that outraged Henry’s family.

“It speaks to the level of arrogance we have had to deal with,” Henry’s father said. “One has to wonder if this group sees themselves as above the laws they’re sworn to uphold.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332289

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Boston Activists Condemn Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association “Officer of the Year” award

Boston Activists Condemn Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association

“Officer of the Year” award to Officer Aaron Hess
controversial police shooter of Danroy “DJ” Henry

CONTACT:
Jamarhl Crawford
Blackstonian.com
617-297-7721

APRIL 15, 2011

FOR IMEMDIATE RELEASE

Boston, MA – Local activists are seething with rage following the reported decision to “honor” Officer Aaron Hess with the “Officer of the Year” award by the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association.  The timing of this award is insensitive and offensive, particularly in light of the questionable circumstances in the Danroy “DJ” Henry, jr. case and the fact that the case has been turned over to the Department of Justice and is currently under investigation.  This move by the Pleasantville Police Union is indicative of the contempt that many Police Unions across the country display in regards to the African-American and Latino community.  In order to witness the vile and venomous sentiments espoused by Police Unions across the country, one only need look at the various law enforcement chatrooms across the country to hear the echoes of tea party patriot militias and neo-nazis. 

Here in Boston, the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association in their Union newspaper called a 16 yr old boy a “scumbag” after the infamous youtube video of him being beaten while arrested at Roxbury Community College.  In Cambridge, after the “Skip Gates” incident, Officer James Crowley was awarded by the Cambridge Police Department. While these cases did not share the same tragic results, the message is the same. It is a message of self-righteousness and entitlement. It shows a total lack of respect for the loss of life of people of color and exemplifies an “Above the Law” attitude.  What we find most offensive, it is taunting and cruel to the family.  We should all be concerned when public servants show this type of disdain for a significant portion of the public they are dutifully sworn to serve. 

We join to publically condemn the decision of the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association and  President Matthew Listwan to bestow Officer Aaron Hess with the “Officer of the Year” award. 

We further condemn the bad judgment displayed by Officer Aaron Hess in accepting the award after this controversial case and during an ongoing US Justice Department investigation. 

We also condemn the actions of Officer Hess on Oct. 17 which resulted in the tragic death of Danroy “DJ” Henry, jr.  It is our belief after reviewing all available facts that the statements of the witnesses are closer to the true sequence of events and we do not agree with the grand jury’s decision to dismiss Hess’ indictment on criminal charges in the case. 

Police Unions are fierce defenders of the fallen in their ranks. They rally around deceased officers families and fundraise and brow beat anyone who doesn’t share their sense of loss and respect. If there were a case in which an officer was killed by a young black man, even if the officer had been shown to be a “dirty cop” and trying to unlawfully kill the young man, and subsequently the Black community held a celebration and awarded this young man, we could expect protest from every officer in the country. Police would view such a display as a public slap in the face and the ultimate gesture of disrespect.

“The type of rhetoric spewed by many Police Unions, is indicative of a mentality that is then displayed on the job in many cases. This type of event and the attitudes, actions and comments of some officers is simply another means to administer Police Brutality… psychologically.”
- Jamarhl Crawford, Blackstonian.com

Regardless of the PPBA’s stated intentions to “not offend” and “not garner media attention” they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the implications of such an award and they knew the potential to inflame and infuriate the public. They knew that the timing of this award was completely inappropriate and with all that knowledge they did it anyway with forethought and wickedly malicious intent. 

## 

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DJ Henry’s family files federal suit against N.Y. cop

DJ Henry’s family files federal suit against N.Y. cop

By Laura Crimaldi  |   Wednesday, April 20, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

The family of a Pace University football player from Easton who was fatally shot last fall by New York cops today is filing a wrongful death suit in federal court.

Angella and Danroy Henry Sr. are meeting with reporters at noon to discuss the legal action against a cop who shot at Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr. and the village that employs him.

“While we recognize both the broader efforts to distort the truth and conspire in secret to deny our family and those following, a complete picture of the events leading to our son’s death, we are choosing to sharpen our focus on those most responsible for his death,” the couple said in a statement released by their attorney. “We are not oblivious to the reality that several people participated in the inhumane treatment of our son, allowing him to die without regard for basic human dignities handcuffed alone on the ground.”

The suit names Officer Aaron Hess and the Village of Pleasantville, N.Y., according to a copy of the complaint provided by Henry family lawyer Michael Sussman. The suit will be filed this afternoon in federal court in New York, Sussman said. The complaint does not disclose the amount of money the family is seeking in damages.

Henry, 20, was fatally shot on Oct. 17, 2010, outside a bar after, according to police, he ignored instructions to stop his vehicle. Hess, who fired at Henry four times, was honored earlier this month as an “officer of the year” by the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association. The honor outraged Henry’s family.

“The PBA’s choice to celebrate our son’s death was a poor one and further energizes our fight for truth and answers to simple but relevant questions,” the couple’s statement said.

Hess was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by a New York grand jury in February.

The federal Department of Justice is also reviewing the shooting.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332114

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Cop’s award latest odd twist in Pace case

Cop’s award latest odd twist in Pace case

Photo by Ryan T. Conaty (file)
By Margery Eagan  |   Thursday, April 14, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

You hear it. You almost can’t believe it.

The police union in Mount Pleasant, a small town outside New York City, just gave its officer of the year award to Aaron Hess, now under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for fatally shooting Pace University football player Danroy “DJ” Henry, 20, from Easton.

“What did he do to win this award? Kill our son?”

So asked DJ’s mother, Angella Henry, yesterday. Yet she spoke not in anger but in the calm, matter-of-fact, what-do-you-expect tone she and her husband have maintained since enduring one bizarre twist after another in a disheartening, six-month journey through the court system there.

Retired Boston police Lt. Tom Nolan reacted with far more ire yesterday.

“It’s outrageous and frankly disgraceful,” said Nolan, a 27-year police veteran now teaching at Boston University. “Police know this was a questionable shooting at best, a situation where the life of an unarmed student athlete was taken.

“If that’s the most commendable and laudable and praiseworthy thing that went on in Mount Pleasant in 2010, that says a lot.”

You know, most police departments commend officers who, as Nolan put it, perform “selfless acts of heroism, putting themselves in harm’s way” to save the rest of us, who are extremely grateful. An award to an officer in the midst of a criminal investigation and multiple civil suits? Unheard of.

Equally unheard of in a disputed case such as this? A secret grand jury’s failure to indict anybody and allow open court hearings to follow. In March, however, after a judge demanded videos that DJ’s teammates insist support their version of events, a prosecutor abruptly dropped all charges — resisting arrest and disorderly conduct — against those teammates. They, like the Henrys, have argued that what’s really going on here is prosecutors protecting police, a charge both have denied. Yet no one has answered two central questions here: Was Hess struck by Henry’s car before he opened fire? If not, why did he not just get out of the way? And why did Henry lie mortally wounded — yet handcuffed and unattended — for so long that awful night?

Angella Henry said yesterday, “I’m thankful in a way (that this happened) because now everyone sees what we’ve been dealing with. It’s hurtful, yes, but we’re not surprised.”

DJ’s younger brother Kyle was not surprised, either.

“They killed an innocent man,” he told his mother. “Why would you expect anything different?”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1330628

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Officer who shot Danroy Henry named 'Officer of the Year'

Blackstonian Editor's Note: I find this disgusting. Completely unprofessional, insensitive and this should be regarded as intimidation and harassment.

Officer who shot Danroy Henry named 'Officer of the Year'

Danroy Henry Jr.
By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

The family of Danroy "D.J." Henry Jr., the popular football player from Easton who was fatally shot by police in New York last year, lashed out today at a New York police union’s decision to give an award to the officer who shot him.

The award was particularly insulting, the family said, because the shooting remains under investigation by the US Department of Justice.

“I’m glad the world gets to see the arrogance we’ve been dealing with since Oct. 17, from the district attorney’s office all the way to the Police Benevolent Association,” said Angella Henry, Danroy Henry's mother. “For us, it’s not a surprise.”

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/officer_who_sho.html?p1=News_links

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Police seek second Mashpee shooting suspect

Police seek second Mashpee shooting suspect

The police are seeking John Cardoza of East Falmouth in connection with Thursday’s shooting in Mashpee.

Photo by Mashpee Police Department
By Heather Wysocki / Cape Cod Times  |   Wednesday, April 13, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage


MASHPEE — The police are looking for for a second suspect in Thursday’s shooting, which authorities believe was a botched robbery during a drug buy.

Carlton H. Hendricks III, 20, was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting. John Cardoza, 35, of East Falmouth is also being sought.

According to court documents, a 32-year-old man and his 28-year-old girlfriend were attempting to purchase Percocet pills around 10 p.m. Thursday at Hendricks’ 165 Ninigret Ave. home. But Hendricks and Cardoza allegedly pulled guns and pointed them at the two through the couple’s car windows while the couple was trying to pay for the drugs, the woman said.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330409

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SHOT BY THE POLICE: BOSTON & BEYOND

LOCAL COP SHOOTINGS

This list is a compilation of cases from Boston, Cambridge, Framingham and the Cape. Each incident is the responsibility of that Police Department, but still is indicative of a Statewide and Nationwide epidemic of People of Color being killed by Police.

BPD Killed 5 people in 1988 alone. 4 out of 5 were Black
BPD Killed 6 Between 1995 and Nov. 2000
BPD Killed 8 Between Nov. 2000 and Sep 2002
BPD Killed 2 Between June 2004 and July 2004
BPD Killed 3 from 2005 to present
All Victims were Black, Latino and Cape Verdean

BPD now has a regulation that expressly forbids firing at a vehicle, unless the occupant first displays a weapon. Former commissioner Paul Evans put that rule on the books in 2002, to mollify a public aghast at eight fatal civilian shootings by Boston police officers in a 23-month stretch, culminating in Eveline Barros Cepeda (a 20 yr. old Mother) being shot unarmed in the back of a car. The BPD has a pattern of determining that these shootings are "justifiable" and The Boston Globe stated that the shooting of Willie Murray, jr. 2/12/02 is the first time since 1991 that a Boston Police officer faced criminal charges in a fatal shooting, the city later paid $75,000 settlement (6/29/07).

January 11, 2011 Eurie Stamps, Sr., 68 yrs. old Retired 68-year-old bus MBTA mechanic was shot by a Framingham police officer during a drug raid at his home. According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office it was an accident. The actions of Officer Paul Duncan ‘‘do not rise to the level of criminal conduct,’’ and ‘‘do not support a criminal charge,’’ the DA said. More coverage of Eurie Stamps, Sr. shooting and death

April 3, 2010 Manuel "Junior" DaVeiga, 19 yrs. old 19 yrs. old Shot by BPD in Dorchester, investigation ongoing, Suffolk DA and BPD say he shot himself in the head which was the fatal and final shot. More information coming soon. RIP Manuel July 3, 1990 - April 3, 2010 *Questions are now arising as to Mental Health Issues More coverage of Manuel "Junior" DaVeiga shooting and death

August 11, 2009 (Dartmouth, MA) Joseph M. Ramos, jr. Born May, 5, 1967, Joseph M. Ramos, jr. was killed by Dartmouth Police on Aug. 11, 2009. He was shot by Officer Jared White after becoming disoriented and wandering through his neighborhood asking for help. Joseph suffered from a dehabilitating disease which make the police version of events impossible. Joseph’s Civil Rights were violated and he was wrongfully killed by the Police. If Joseph was not a Man of Color, he would be alive today. More coverage of Joseph M. Ramos Murder

November 21, 2007 Marquis Barker 38 yr old Father of Five, Suffolk County Jail Officer - Nashua 18 yrs. Killed Wed. Nov. 21st, 2007 by Boston Police at Walgreen's on Corner of Norfolk & Morton St. *Mental Health Issues **5th Fatal Shooting since 2002 More Coverage of Marquis Barker's Murder

October 3, 2005 Stanley Seney 28 yrs Old. Killed Oct. 3 2005 in the Theatre District

July 2, 2004 Luis Gonzalez, 57 years old More Coverage of Luis Gonzalez's Murder Gonzalez, 57, who weighed no more than 110 pounds, was fatally shot inside the Tremont Street apartment he shared with his mentally retarded sister by two cops as he approached them with a knife. Neighbors said they told police the Puerto Rican native was mentally ill before they entered his apartment. *Mentally Ill Person **Dirty Cop Keeler Involved

June 27, 2004 Bert W. Bowen 40 yrs. old killed in Roxbury: Brookford/Blue Hill Ave The June 27 shooting angered the community because Bowen, 40, was shot three times (once in the back of the head) while fleeing after a traffic stop, and because some witnesses said he was unarmed. After an "investigation" the government determined this murder was "justifiable" Officers James Sheehan (3 Shots), Brian Smigielski (4 shots) More Coverage of Bert Bowen's Murder

September 25, 2002 Eveline Barros-Cepeda Eveline Barros-Cepeda was shot to death by a Boston Police Officer. She was riding in the back seat of a car that police tried to stop after it ran a stoplight. The car allegedly struck Boston Police Officer Michael Paillat prompting his partner Officer Thomas Taylor Jr. to fire five shots into the car as it sped away.

July 15, 2002 Daniel Furtado 59 yrs old (Cambridge, MA) On July 15, 2002 Cambridge Police broke down the door of Daniel Furtado, and shot him dead in his home. He was accused of cutting a cable TV wire, a misdemeanor. Police had no warrant, nor a court order to enter his home. * 8 Man Swat Team 3-4 rounds More Coverage of Daniel Furtado's Murder *Mentally Ill Person

July 2, 2002 LaVeta Jackson, 36 yrs old On July 2, 2002 Boston Police shot and killed LaVeta Jackson in her home. She suffered from a psychiatric illness. *3 Cops 15-20 rounds *Mentally Ill Person

May 2002 Nelson Santiago In May 2002, two officers shot and killed Nelson Santiago after he allegedly rammed a stolen car into their cruiser in Roxbury.

February 12, 2002 Willie L. Murray jr.  37 yrs old killed in Roxbury, Crawford St. February 12th, 2002 by BPD officer Shawn West (Black Cop) According to the Boston Globe, "For the first time in more than a decade, a Boston police officer could face criminal charges after using deadly force in a fatal shooting. Police and Suffolk County prosecutors said yesterday they will convene a grand jury to investigate the death of Willie L. Murray Jr." A man sitting in the front seat beside Willie Murray Jr. when he was shot described the terrifying moment. He said he watched as West shoved the barrel of his gun in the crack of Murray's opened window, ordered him to open the door. Murray was shot after his foot slipped off the brake and the car rolled forward. The grand jury probe was a rare move that may put the case into the hands of a civilian jury. The Boston Globe stated that this is the first time since 1991 that a Boston Police officer will face criminal charges in a fatal shooting. UPDATE: 6/29/07 Five years after Willie L. Murray Jr. was shot to death by a Boston police officer (Black Cop Shawn West) after a traffic stop in Roxbury, the city agreed yesterday to pay $75,000 to settle a wrongful death suit that was about to go to trial in federal court.

July 15, 2001 Rene Romain  19 yrs old killed in Mattapan July 15, 2001 A Boston Globe article reported that a the mother of a Mattapan teenager, after seeing the medical report on her son, claims he was shot in the back last summer without justification by Boston police. Carline Seide-Murphy said the Boston Police first reported that her son suffered a fatal wound to the abdomen. The medical report said her 19-year-old son, Rene Romain, was shot in the back July 15 at the Mattapan Square T station. The police said Romain had threatened two officers with a knife

May 29, 2001 Jose Pineda

December 27, 2000 Ricky Bodden, 29 Shot in the back of the neck by officer Kyle Wilcox on Dec. 27 in a Roxbury park. Boston Municipal Police officer fired at 29-year-old Ricky Bodden of Dorchester. The shooting occurred after Bodden allegedly ran when the officer tried to question him outside a Dorchester park. The force patrols city-owned buildings.

November 27, 2000 Carlos M. Garcia

March 24, 1994 Rev. Accelyne Williams, 75 years old Acting on a wrong address from a bad tip by an informant, the police conducted a no-knock raid on Retired Methodist minister Accelyne Williams' Boston, MA apartment. The door was battered down and Williams was chased around his home by a SWAT police team looking for drugs and guns. Williams was tackled to the floor and his hands tied behind his back. Williams collapsed and died of a heart attack at the age of 75. No guns or drugs were found, as it was soon discovered they raided the wrong apartment!

January 31, 1988 Donald Johnson killed in Jamaica Plain Donald Johnson (shooting victim) was shot dead by police while he was driving a stolen bus. Boston Police shot and killed five suspects of non-violent crimes in 1988; he adds that four of those five suspects were African American. **5th killing in 1988 4 out of 5 dead were blacks

1981 Levi Hart 14 yrs old killed in Roxbury 1981 by BPD Officer Richard Borque Levi Hart, a 14-year-old African American youth from Roxbury, Mass., was killed in a police chase. (Hart, and two other Roxbury youths had stolen and car. When the officers caught up to them, Hart was shot, arguably by Richard Bourque in an act of police brutality.)

January 1975 James Bowden In January 1975 two white undercover Boston police officers gunned down an innocent black man at the Mission Hill housing project, and then were accused along with other Boston police in a bungled scheme to cover it up. While on stakeout on a suspected getaway car used in an armed robbery, the two gunned down a black man who entered the car. The two claimed the man had a gun and they shot in self-defense. Police investigation decided it was a rightful shooting. The man's widow knew her husband would not be carrying a weapon and became determined to prove her husband's innocence. Attorney Lawrence O'Donnell of Boston, a former officer himself, conducted a three-year investigation on behalf of the widow, Patricia Bowden, which prompted two federal juries to agree in a historic verdict that the death of James Bowden "was malicious, willful, wanton or reckless," and the result was a landmark legal decision which included a settlement of $843,000 for Bowden's widow and two children. In more than 100 years, no one had won such a judgment against any police department. Former Boston Phoenix reporter Dave O'Brian was on assignment to write a feature story about Boston's Tactical Patrol Force, O'Brian was in the back seat of the police cruiser along with a news photographer. When the shooting occurred, he was crouched on the floor in fear. His role became crucial, though, because his notes about what happened in the aftermath contradicted police. Looking for a tall, thin man, the police stake out the wrong car, then shoot a man who's 5 feet 4 and weighs 180 pounds and who's never been accused of a crime. Their versions in court contradict those of eyewitnesses, and also one another. A gun is planted at the scene to incriminate Bowden, but it's the wrong type. Crucial tape recordings from the dispatcher's office are missing. The police arrest O'Donnell's son on a trumped-up charge, and beat him.

READ MORE - SHOT BY THE POLICE: BOSTON & BEYOND

Darryl Williams’ legacy of love lives on

Darryl Williams’ legacy of love lives on

By Joe Fitzgerald  |   Monday, March 28, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

He was one of this city’s noblest sons, rising above the bitterness that could have further paralyzed him during the 31 years he lived as a quadriplegic after a sniper randomly shot him from a rooftop in Charlestown.

Darryl Williams was a 15-year-old wide receiver that September afternoon in 1979, playing for Jamaica Plain High School. After making a spectacular catch to end the first half, he stood on the sidelines, awaiting the third quarter.

“Coach (Tom) Richardson had just told me how thrilled he was with the way I was playing,” he once recalled. “I felt like I owned the world . . . and then everything went dark.”

When doctors told him of the devastating nature of his injury, “I cried mightily,” he later admitted.

But with the passage of time came a remarkable acceptance.

“I began to see a bigger picture,” he said. “After meeting so many able-bodied people who appeared miserable, I came to look at my injury as a badge of courage from God, as if He must have thought I could deal with this better than they could.”

He became a gifted motivational speaker, employing a very special prop. Twelve years after the shooting, his neurologist had removed the bullet from his neck, hoping it might give him a bit more range of motion.

“He asked if I wanted to see it,” Darryl recalled. “As I looked at this twisted piece of metal, I realized it didn’t get there by itself; it had to be put there by a warped mind. So it wasn’t just the bullet that hurt me; it was also the attitude that fired the bullet.”

To see him make that point to a spellbound audience of tough young kids was to believe, as he did, that even tragic things happen for a reason.

That’s what he told a gathering at Franklin Field during a time of heightened tensions as bloodshed gripped the city.

“It bothers me we’re still trying to get rid of violence all these years after a bullet put me into this chair,” he said. “Ignorance aimed a weapon in my direction and hatred pulled the trigger. The bullet that hurt me is useless now; it can’t hurt anyone else.

“But the ignorance and hatred that shot it into me are alive and well, waiting for you, just like they were waiting for me when I was your age.

“I’m here because I have a love in my heart for all of you, and a hope that you will become my arms, my legs, in carrying the message I bring: ‘Please, let there be peace, and let it begin with me.’ ”

Darryl Williams was 46 when he died a year ago today, and he’s missed more than ever.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1326508

READ MORE - Darryl Williams’ legacy of love lives on

Dorchester teen slain in broad daylight

Dorchester teen slain in broad daylight

By Christine McConville and Colneth Smiley Jr.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Dorchester teenager Kris McKinney was gunned down yesterday in broad daylight just around the corner from his family’s home, according to Hub investigators who have launched a manhunt for the cold-blooded killers.

“He is well-known to police,” Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said last night about McKinney. “Detectives are still trying to determine facts and circumstances.”

Stunned neighbors said McKinney, 18, was standing with a group of other young men, including his brother, at the corner of Whitman Street and Norfolk Avenue shortly after 3 p.m. when a car approached them.


McKinney was blasted twice, first in the head and then in the leg, as he tried to flee up Whitman Street, bystanders said.

He was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

“I just lost my son,” an anguished woman screamed at police when she came upon the crime scene at about 5 p.m.

As horrified friends and neighbors looked on, the woman, whom the Herald was unable to identify, grabbed onto a nearby mailbox to steady herself and repeated, “I just lost my son . . . He’s gone.”

Neighbors said McKinney had just been released from a youth lockup only a few days ago.

But they also portrayed him as a kindhearted neighbor who befriended little kids and shoveled neighbors’ walks after snowstorms.

“Yeah, he’s been in trouble,” one man said, “but he’s just a kid.”

Rattled residents said they regard Whitman Street — a dead-end block off bustling Norfolk Street, hard by Codman Square — as a haven from surrounding hot spots of crime.

“There’s a crime watch over here, so (the shooting) is uncommon,” a Whitman Street resident told the Herald.

But yesterday afternoon, while the neighborhood kids came home from school and the adults returned from work, Boston police and their dogs searched the area for stray bullets and clues.

READ MORE - Dorchester teen slain in broad daylight

Danroy Henry’s mother ‘thrilled’ about dropped charges

Danroy Henry’s mother ‘thrilled’ about dropped charges
By Ira Kantor  |   Friday, March 25, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Stuart Cahill

The mother of a Pace University football player from Easton shot and killed by police outside a New York state bar welcomed the news yesterday that a judge has dropped criminal charges against four of her son’s teammates caught in the chaos of the Oct. 17 shooting.

“Clearly, we’re thrilled. We knew all along these young men were innocent and their full desire was to save our son’s life,” said Angella Henry, mother of Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., who added that the “victory for the young men is just a step forward for us to both accountability and penalty in getting justice for our son.”

Attorney Bonita Zelman, who represents Joseph Garcia of Floral Park, N.Y., Joseph Romanick of Slidell, La., Yves Delpeche of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Daniel Parker of Lauderhill, Fla., is now planning to sue the county of Westchester, the town of Mount Pleasant and the village of Pleasantville, all of which had officers at the scene.

Zelman said he is seeking “seven figures for each of these victims,” alleging brutality, false arrest, violation of civil, constitutional and human rights, and malicious prosecution. Zelman claims video and photographic evidence proves police brut-ality as the players tried to save Henry.

“The only people out of control by way of this evidence are the police,” Zelman said. “We’re going to make a loud outcry to acts of brutality made against them. . . . Before I’m done, every cop that laid a hand on these innocent students will be brought to justice.”

Each of the players was charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest or obstruction. A grand jury last month declined to indict the officer who shot Henry.

Spokeswoman for Westchester county Donna Greene and the town of Mount Plesant declined to comment. A message left with the village of Pleasantville was not returned.

Michael Hagan, president of the Westchester police union, called the claims “rid-iculous” and said the lawsuit was a “shameless attempt to have the taxpayers . . . reward them for their illegal activity.”

Westchester District Attor- ney Janet DiFiore said the charges were dismissed “in the interest of justice.”

Michael Sussman, an attorney representing Henry’s parents, who plan to file a lawsuit next month, said the charges should never have been brought. “They tried to save DJ’s life,” Sussman said.

“I think (the charges) were brought as some kind of contrivance to begin with.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1325931

READ MORE - Danroy Henry’s mother ‘thrilled’ about dropped charges

PACT initiative for tackling gang violence could be new 'Boston Miracle'

PACT initiative for tackling gang violence could be new 'Boston Miracle'

Posted by Cara Bayles March 24, 2011 11:57 AM
By Cara Bayles, Town Correspondent

Boston Police Superintendent Paul Joyce has gone on a talking tour around Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury, the neighborhoods he says are the heart of Boston's violence hot spots, where 90 percent of the city's shootings take place.

On Wednesday night, he visited the Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, a group created in response to drug violence in the early 90s, to give his update on the Partnerships Advancing Communities Together program, better known as PACT, which is up for its eight-month review. Joyce said it was his 155 community meeting since July 1, 2010.

PACT combines the efforts of police, street workers, the courts, and education and job programs to target 240 Boston gang members, who are considered responsible for the majority of the city's violence. The program represents a collaborative technique reminiscent of the "Boston Miracle" of the late 1990s, when a partnership between community groups, clergy and police helped to significantly reduce gang violence.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/dorchester/2011/03/pact_initiative_for_tackling_g.html

READ MORE - PACT initiative for tackling gang violence could be new 'Boston Miracle'

Man shot on Dorchester Street

Man shot on Dorchester Street

Police conferred at the shooting scene this afternoon.

By Globe Staff

FULL STORY HERE

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/man_shot_on_dor_2.html?p1=Local_Links

READ MORE - Man shot on Dorchester Street

Victim's mother confronts defendant in Harvard dorm murder case

Victim's mother confronts defendant in Harvard dorm murder case

Justin Cosby
Posted by Martin Finucane March 24, 2011 01:38 PM
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

WOBURN – For the first time since her only son was shot inside a Harvard University dorm, Denise Cosby today spoke directly to one of the men allegedly responsible for ending the life of her youngest child.

Denise Cosby was the mother of Justin D. Cosby, a Cambridge man who authorities have said was a drug dealer with customers on the Cambridge campus of the world-famous college.
“Today I sit here and look into the face of what is supposed to be a man,’’ Cosby said in a stern voice. “You are a fool.’’

Cosby directed her cold anger and sharp words towards Jason Aquino, one of three New York City men who came to Cambridge on May 18, 2009, intent on robbing Justin Cosby of marijuana and cash.

Instead, Cosby was shot while all four men were inside the J entry of Harvard’s Kirkland House residential building.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/victims_mother.html?p1=Local_Links

READ MORE - Victim's mother confronts defendant in Harvard dorm murder case

Charges dropped against football players in Danroy Henry case

Charges dropped against football players in Danroy Henry case

By Associated Press  |   Thursday, March 24, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

VALHALLA, N.Y. - A judge has dropped all charges against four New York college football players who were arrested after a teammate was killed by a police officer.

The action was taken Thursday by a town judge in New York. The players’ lawyer said a lawsuit is planned.

The four Pace University students were arrested Oct. 17 in the chaos that followed the shooting of 20-year-old Danroy Henry, of Easton, Mass., outside a bar in Thornwood, N.Y.

Last month, a grand jury declined to indict the officer who shot Henry. Two weeks ago, prosecutors moved to dismiss various charges of disorderly conduct, obstruction and criminal mischief against the teammates.

The players expressed relief. One of them, Joseph Romanick, of Slidell, La., noted that nothing can bring back their friend.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1325727

READ MORE - Charges dropped against football players in Danroy Henry case

DA: Framingham drug raid shooting death an ‘accident’

DA: Framingham drug raid shooting death an ‘accident’

By Associated Press  |   Wednesday, March 9, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

FRAMINGHAM -- A Framingham police officer who shot and killed a 68-year-old man during an early morning drug raid will not face criminal charges.

The Middlesex district attorney’s office says officer Paul Duncan stumbled and accidentally fired his rifle, hitting Eurie Stamps as he lay on the floor on his stomach with his hands up.

Authorities said Wednesday that an investigation shows Duncan lost his balance while preparing to handcuff Stamps and check him for weapons after members of the SWAT team entered the Fountain Street home just after midnight on Jan. 5.

Prosecutors say Duncan’s actions "do not rise to the level of criminal conduct, and the shooting death of Eurie Stamps was an accident."

The raid led to the arrest of two men who have pleaded not guilty to charges including cocaine possession.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1322208

READ MORE - DA: Framingham drug raid shooting death an ‘accident’

Will Boston's rap scene teach through tragedy? Rest in Power

Will Boston's rap scene teach through tragedy?
Rest in Power

By CHRIS FARAONE  |  March 9, 2011

Excerpt from Article, quote from Blackstonian Publisher/Editor Jamarhl Crawford

"What I hope happens is that people now work for peace," says Jamarhl Crawford, an anti-violence activist who also raps as UNO the Prophet. "With that said, what I believe will happen is that people will just party and bullshit, drink some Henny, go to the gravestone, and get weeded. I don't know when we're going to collectively grow the fuck up and come together and have a real conversation, but I do know that we have an opportunity right now to build something that can really save some of these kids out here."

FULL STORY HERE:
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/116862-will-bostons-rap-scene-teach-through-tragedy

READ MORE - Will Boston's rap scene teach through tragedy? Rest in Power