May 1, 2008
No Charges Filed in DeOnté Rawlings Killing
Federal prosecutors announced today that no charges will be filed against the two off-duty D.C. police officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings on Sept. 17, 2007.
Officers James Haskel and Anthony Clay were riding in Haskel's SUV on the night of the killing, looking for a minibike stolen from Haskel's garage in Southeast. The officers, who were off-duty and not in uniform, said they found Rawlings on the bike, that he fired on them with a gun before they had time to identify themselves as police, and that Haskel then got out of his SUV, chased Rawlings, and fired back. Rawlings died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head, and bruises and scrapes were found on his body.
The gun that Rawlings allegedly fired was not recovered, but police did later find a gun in the home of Clifton Coleman, 18, a friend of Rawlings, that matched shell casings from a .45-caliber gun that were found at the scene. Still, there have never been any satisfactory answers about how Rawlings was shot in the back of the head, whether he was definitely carrying a gun and fired on the officers, and why, after getting out of his car and chasing Rawlings, Haskel apparently never had time to identify himself as a police officer.
The Rawlings family has continued to maintain that DeOnté would never have carried a gun. They later filed a $100 million lawsuit against the city, which remains pending.
Mayor Adrian Fenty released the following statement after the decision not to prosecute the officers was announced:
“The death of Deonte Rawlings was a tragic loss for his family and the entire community continues to mourn for them. After an exhaustive, independent investigation, the US Attorney and FBI have rendered their opinion. It is important that all members of the community respect the legal process. Now that this process is complete, we will work to ensure that the community and our officers who put their lives on the line everyday continue to heal together.”
The Washington Post says that it's not yet clear when the officers will be able to return to work. Internal affairs must first complete a review to decide whether the officers followed procedures, which could take up to 90 days. Both officers have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
The MPD has declined to comment on the decision.
|
Countdown to comment Armageddon in 3, 2, 1 . . .
Well, I'd be interested to know the amount of time logged by ShotSpotter. I know it has 8 high-calibre (prob the 45) and 3 9mm shots. But how long between the first and last shots? Not much time, I'd bet. And therefore, not much time to say "hey, I'm a cop"
Oh this should end well.
If you're feeling a little too good about the world and the people in it, go check out the comments in the Post's story. [sigh.]
I see your Post comment thread and raise you a WTOP comment thread.
I'm surprised they aren't blaming this on Bill Clinton.
Hey its open season on black civilians....didn't anybody get the sean bell memo?
commenting on a post or wtop story is an exercise in frustration. only here, on dcist.com, can we find true wit and wisdom, though i know that this is probably not quite the thread you're going to go to to look for that.
that's one idiot's opinion...
The WTOP comment threads on just about any topic are hilarious. I'm wondering, where are all the club-dragging cavemen that have presumably been making those comments?
For every caveman commenting on the WTOP threads, there are three who just sniff at the keyboard and look puzzled as they hit the computer with their clubs and pieces of dead zebra while shrieking and jumping up and down.
@IMGoph
commenting on a post or wtop story is an exercise in frustration.
@MrTinDC
The WTOP comment threads on just about any topic are hilarious.
Indeed, making snarky comments about the crass and déclassé denizens of those other boards is something we can all agree on.
ooh ooh! the comments on the AOL news stories are always a trainwreck of read, too. thoug, admittedly, AOL reports on much lighter topics...
yet somehow the commenters always seem to be able to relate the Jesus, george dubs, and hollywood whores to whatever the news story may be.
I'm glad the the police officers were not found in the wrong. Lil'DeOnte (the parents should be put in prison for naming their son "") has no one to blame for his demise other than his self. He had a gun, it wasn't recovered but I believe he did have one and it was stolen from the crime scene, he had an officer's stolen property as well. You still, play with guns, and act irresponsibly... guess what? He deserved what he got and his parents should go to jail for failing to raise their child with some common sense. We, the citizens of the District of Columbia, should be suing Mr. and Ms. DeOnte's parents for failing to be good parents. They cost us too many tax dollars in section 8 and welfare checks.
Excuse me...
They cost us too many tax dollars in section 8, welfare checks and food stamps to not raise their child correctly. They should have instilled proper values in DeOnte, instead they failed to be proper parents.
He deserved what he got . . .
Please don't feed the troll, however tempting it may be.
While not attempting to feed the troll, I would like to point out that if criminal charges had been filed, they would not necessarily represent a finding of wrongdoing. That would have been determined by a jury.
I love how the community will put up with crime and blame society for criminal behavior. That is what's wrong with DC. Put the son'of a buggers in jail and show them what happens when you commit a crime. Placing them back with the parents does nothing. The parents are not there and they usually don't care. If they did, Lil'DeOnte would still be alive.
"'He deserved what he got . . .'
Please don't feed the troll, however tempting it may be."
As abhorrent as that idea may be to some, in this case and many others, I think you will find many people who truly feel this way, thus making them not trolls.
There is too much liberal white guilt in this city. Get over it people and grow a set of balls already. I'm a solid democrat but even I recognize that children acting criminally should be treated as such when their parents fail. And as for the parents, they should be prosecuted for neglect.
There are a lot of unknowns in this case. But apparently one of the biggest problems was that very few in the neighborhood were willing to cooperate with the DC Police or the FBI.
Or so the reports say.
If that's the case, I don't want to hear a single bit of bitching when the cops' story is the one that is given more credence.
Which is pretty much what I had to say about NE residents whining about needing more patrols.
What good is more cops if you're not going to actually, y'know, HELP THEM CATCH CRIMINALS?
Shotspotter, a gun recovery, and forensics show multiple guns fired in this, and that one of those was not a MPD officer's. What else is there? Possible failure to tell an armed De'Onte that he'd stolen the wrong guy's property really doesn't change the big picture, does it?