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Milwaukee Officer's Firing Sharpens Sides In Dontre Hamilton Case
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn's decision to fire the officer who fatally shot Dontre Hamilton at Red Arrow Park has not satisfied people on either side.
Not the Hamilton family, who see the firing as a good step, but want the officer, Christopher Manney, criminally charged. Not local protesters, who support the Hamilton family and believe the shooting is symptomatic of larger issues within the department.
Not the police union and many of Manney's fellow officers, who decried the chief's decision as cowardice. And certainly not Manney himself, who "vehemently" disputed the dismissal and filed for duty disability retirement, saying the April 30 shooting and its aftermath resulted in severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
Flynn fired Manney on Wednesday for failing to follow department rules in the moments leading up to the shooting, not for using deadly force when he shot Hamilton 14 times.
Instead of following police training about how to deal with emotionally disturbed people, Manney came up behind Hamilton and placed his hands under Hamilton's arms and on his chest in what Flynn described Wednesday as an "out of policy pat-down." "In taking those actions, Manney instigated — certainly not on purpose, certainly not with malice or forethought — bad tactics and bad decisions (that) resulted in this escalation that necessitated a use of deadly force," Flynn said.
In a written response to the department filed earlier this month and provided by the police union Thursday, Manney said he believed Hamilton was both emotionally disturbed and dangerous. Manney feared Hamilton was armed due to bulges in his pockets, the officer wrote.
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| Dontre Hamilton, 31 year old mentally ill man shot by police. |
By Ashley Luthern, Oct. 16, 2014, Jsonline.com
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn's decision to fire the officer who fatally shot Dontre Hamilton at Red Arrow Park has not satisfied people on either side.
Not the Hamilton family, who see the firing as a good step, but want the officer, Christopher Manney, criminally charged. Not local protesters, who support the Hamilton family and believe the shooting is symptomatic of larger issues within the department.
Not the police union and many of Manney's fellow officers, who decried the chief's decision as cowardice. And certainly not Manney himself, who "vehemently" disputed the dismissal and filed for duty disability retirement, saying the April 30 shooting and its aftermath resulted in severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
Flynn fired Manney on Wednesday for failing to follow department rules in the moments leading up to the shooting, not for using deadly force when he shot Hamilton 14 times.
Instead of following police training about how to deal with emotionally disturbed people, Manney came up behind Hamilton and placed his hands under Hamilton's arms and on his chest in what Flynn described Wednesday as an "out of policy pat-down." "In taking those actions, Manney instigated — certainly not on purpose, certainly not with malice or forethought — bad tactics and bad decisions (that) resulted in this escalation that necessitated a use of deadly force," Flynn said.
In a written response to the department filed earlier this month and provided by the police union Thursday, Manney said he believed Hamilton was both emotionally disturbed and dangerous. Manney feared Hamilton was armed due to bulges in his pockets, the officer wrote.
Read the full story: www.jsonline.com
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