Document Page: COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT

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COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT By DAVID ASHENFELTER, JOE SWICKARD and SUZETTE HACKNEY FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERSDetroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich. 09-20-2000 COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT Byline: By DAVID ASHENFELTER, JOE SWICKARD and SUZETTE HACKNEY FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS Edition: METRO FINAL Section: NWS Type: News Ashoot-out that made Detroit Police Officer Eugene Brown a decorated hero didn't happen the way he said it did, police executives have concluded after a four-month re-examination of Brown's nine shootings. The report concludes that Lamar Grable, 20, of Detroit never fired at Brown. Grable was shot to death during a foot chase and struggle with Brown near Belle Isle in September 1996. Brown has been involved in nine shootings -- three of them fatal - - in seven years on the force. Although cleared in every case, he has become a focal point of community concerns about the Detroit Police Department's use of deadly force. Most officers go their entire careers without ever firing their weapons. The report examines all of Brown's shootings and raises questions about the department's initial investigations of three fatal shootings and one wounding. Assistant Chief Marvin Winkler, who received the report Monday from Deputy Chief Walter Shoulders and commanders Cara Best and Frazier Shaw, said he is troubled by the findings.

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Document Page: COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT

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"If all of this is true, I can't put into words how bad I feel about some of this stuff." Winkler, who must endorse the report before it goes to Chief Benny Napoleon, said it is being reviewed by his staff to resolve some questions he has. Winkler said he wouldn't divulge details of the report until he considers it a final product. Shoulders said he couldn't talk about it. But people familiar with the report discussed the findings in the Grable case with the Free Press. Speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, they said: * The report says Grable's fingerprints weren't on the gun he allegedly used to shoot at Brown. * There was no gunshot residue on Grable's right hand, his dominant hand. * Although residue was found on Grable's left hand, the report said it got there when Grable reflexively raised his hand to ward off being shot by Brown. * Investigators who initially reviewed the shooting in 1996 failed to address a fatal wound to Grable's back. Grable was shot eight times in the chest, arms and back. Brown suffered minor injuries when two bullets were fired at close range into his bulletproof vest. The new report, 46 pages long, does not address how Brown got shot. Brown, 33, who is assigned to the tactical services section, was awarded the Walter Scott Distinguished Service Award for bravery in 1997 as a result of the Grable shooting. The award is one of the department's highest honors. Brown's lawyer said the shooting was justified.
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Document Page: COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT

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"Officer Brown acted in self-defense," said Donald H. Stolberg. "Mr. Grable was armed. Officer Brown had every right and duty to defend himself in accordance with his training as a police officer." Stolberg said Brown's shootings have already been investigated once and are being unfairly resurrected because of "a small but vocal group of citizens." Brown has been involved in more shootings than any other Detroit police officer, police have said. Police investigators and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office cleared Brown after each of the shootings happened. In an interview earlier this year, Brown characterized himself as an aggressive, hard-working cop who put himself in dangerous situations to protect the public. In May, Police Chief Benny Napoleon appointed Shoulders to re- examine Brown's shootings in response to community outcry over Brown's record. Some police officials have said they wanted Brown charged with manslaughter in one shooting and felonious assault in another. Richard Padzieski, chief of operations for the prosecutor's office, declined to discuss the cases, saying the report from Shoulders has yet to be fully examined. He also said that a potential prosecution would not be hampered because his office declined to charge Brown when those incidents first occurred. "Not really," Padzieski said. "We are re-reviewing the evidence. In the final analysis, we are looking for evidence that you can present in court." The office will begin reviewing the cases today.

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News on other cases Also Tuesday, the Wayne County medical examiner released autopsy results on two men killed in recent controversial police shootings -- two that did not involve Brown. One report showed that Dwight Turner, 45, was intoxicated and in pajamas when police shot him outside his northwest Detroit home Sept. 8. His blood-alcohol level was 0.14. A driver is considered drunk in Michigan with a level of 0.10. Police said they shot Turner when he pointed a handgun at them that he had used to shoot a stray dog. His family said Turner, an autoworker with a good job and family, had no reason to point a gun at police. The other report said Errol Shaw Sr., 39, had consumed alcohol and had cocaine in his blood when police shot him outside his northwest Detroit home Aug. 29. Police said Shaw menaced officers with a rake; his family and other witnesses said police ignored pleas not to shoot because Shaw, who was deaf and could not speak, did not understand them. Shaw's blood-alcohol level was 0.06. Contact DAVID ASHENFELTER at 313-223-4490 or ashenf@freepress.com. Contact JOE SWICKARD at 313-223-4557 or swickard@freepress.com. Contact SUZETTE HACKNEY at 313-222-6672 or hackney@freepress.com. ILLUSTRATION: Photo Detroit police file photo CAPTION: accolades for his deadly, victorious gunfight with a crime suspect included one of the department's highest honors, which he displays here with Don Johnson, head of the police officers association. CAPTIONWRITER: In 1997, Eugene Brown was the talk of the Detroit police. The DISCLAIMER: THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE.

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Copyright 2000 - Detroit Free Press - All Rights Reverved

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ASHENFELTER, By DAVID, JOE. "COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT." Detroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich.. 20 Sep. 2000: A1. eLibrary. Web. 11 Aug. 2013.

By, JOE "COP'S GUNFIGHT TALE CALLED FALSE A DETROIT POLICE REVIEW DISPUTES HEROIC SHOOT-OUT." Detroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich.. 2000, September 20: A1.

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