Louisiana trooper acquitted after he was caught on camera beating Black motorist with flashlight
A federal jury in Louisiana on Wednesday acquitted a white state trooper charged with violating the civil rights of a Black motorist despite body-camera footage that showed the officer pummeling the man 18 times with a flashlight. The case of Jacob Brown was the first to emerge from a series of FBI investigations into troopers’ beatings of Black men during traffic stops in Louisiana and underscored the challenges prosecutors face convicting law enforcement officials accused of using excessive force. After a three-day trial in Monroe, jurors found Mr Brown not guilty of depriving Aaron Bowman of his civil rights during a 2019 beating that left Mr Bowman with a broken jaw, broken ribs and a gash to his head. Mr Brown, who defended the blows to investigators as “ pain compliance,” would have faced up to a decade in federal prison if convicted. Mr Brown’s defence attorney, Scott Wolleson, told The Associated Press he was grateful for the verdict. "The men and women of the jury recognized the risks law enforcement officers like Jacob Brown face on our behalf every day,” he said. Mr Bowman’s attorney, Ron Haley, said the acquittal “shows it’s incredibly hard to prove a civil rights violation in federal court.” He added that the attack had “fundamentally changed” Mr Bowman’s life. “He was low-hanging fruit for Jacob Brown,” Mr Haley said. “Because he’s looked at as just a drug user, he was treated like he wasn’t human.” The acquittal comes as federal prosecutors are still scrutinizing other Louisiana state troopers caught on body-camera video punching, stunning and dragging another Black motorist, Ronald Greene, before he died in their custody on a rural roadside. That federal probe is also examining whether police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers who beat Greene following a high-speed chase. Body-camera footage of both the Bowman and Greene beatings, which took place less than three weeks and 20 miles apart, remained under wraps before the AP obtained and published the videos in 2021. The cases were among a dozen highlighted in an AP investigation that revealed a pattern of troopers and their bosses ignoring or concealing evidence of beatings, deflecting blame and impeding efforts to root out misconduct. State police didn’t investigate the MrBowman attack until 536 days after it occurred and only did so weeks after Mr Bowman brought a civil lawsuit. It ultimately determined Mr Brown “engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions," failed to report the use of force to his supervisors and “intentionally mislabeled” his body-camera video. The AP found Mr Brown, who patrolled in northern Louisiana, was involved in 23 use-of-force incidents between 2015 and his 2021 resignation — 19 of which targeted Black people. Mr Brown still faces state charges in the violent arrest of yet another Black motorist, a case in which he boasted in a group chat with other troopers that “it warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.” In the wake of the AP's reporting, the US Justice Department last year opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into the state police that remains ongoing. On the night that Mr Bowman was pulled over for “improper lane usage,” Mr Brown came upon the scene after deputies had forcibly removed Mr Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground in the driveaway of his Monroe home. Video and police records show he beat Mr Bowman 18 times with a flashlight in 24 seconds. “I’m not resisting! I’m not resisting!” Mr Bowman can be heard screaming between blows. Mr Brown is the son of Bob Brown, a longtime trooper who oversaw statewide criminal investigations and, before retiring, was the agency’s chief of staff. The elder Mr Brown rose to the agency's second in command despite being reprimanded years earlier for calling Black colleagues the n-word and hanging a Confederate flag in his office.
2023-08-05 21:51
Seventeen-year-old turns himself in for fatal O’Shae Sibley stabbing at Brooklyn gas station, report says
A 17-year-old who police believe fatally stabbed a man dancing outside a gas station in Brooklyn has reportedly turned himself in to authorities. The teenager is now in police custody, according to CNN. Police believe the teen stabbed O'Shae Sibley, a man who was dancing and posing to a Beyonce song at a gas station with his friends on the day of the attack. A large group of men reportedly approached Mr Sibley and his friends and began hurling homophobic slurs at them. The slurs and harassment eventually caused a confrontation, according to an NYPD spokesperson. Otis Pena, a witness, told police one of the men stabbed his friend, Mr Sibley, in the torso. He died in the hospital. Police are investigating whether or not the fatal stabbing was a hate crime.
2023-08-05 21:49
Lebanon seeks to reassure Gulf, Germany after travel warnings
BEIRUT Lebanon's caretaker premier Najib Mikati said on Saturday there was no cause for "concern or panic" about
2023-08-05 21:29
Ukraine seeks progress towards peace at Saudi Arabia talks
By Maha El Dahan DUBAI (Reuters) -Senior officials from some 40 countries including the United States, China and India began
2023-08-05 21:24
Berkshire posts record operating profit, $35.9 billion of net income
(Reuters) -Berkshire Hathaway on Saturday posted its highest ever quarterly operating profit, while gains from stock holdings helped the conglomerate
2023-08-05 20:58
11 people injured after bus returning to YMCA summer camp crashes in Idaho
Eleven people were injured after a school bus with at least 30 on board crashed near a major highway in Banks, Idaho, on Friday afternoon, according to an Idaho State Police Facebook post.
2023-08-05 20:53
Venezuela Red Cross President Mario Enrique Villarroel fired by court
The charity declares its support for its boss and appeals to President Nicolas Maduro's government.
2023-08-05 20:27
What happened this week and what's next in Trump legal world
Donald Trump's legal schedule is getting fuller by the day as the political season heats up, with the former president facing multiple criminal charges with more possibly on the way.
2023-08-05 20:24
Pope visits Fatima shrine in Portugal; skips key address
By Philip Pullella and Catarina Demony FATIMA, Portugal (Reuters) -Pope Francis visited the revered Catholic shrine of Fatima in Portugal
2023-08-05 19:59
Pakistan former premier Imran Khan held after court hands down 3-year sentence
By Mubasher Bukhari, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Charlotte Greenfield LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -Police arrested Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan
2023-08-05 19:57
'This isn't some random dude with a duffel bag': To catch fentanyl traffickers, feds dig into crypto markets
The Biden administration has intensified its focus on tracing cryptocurrency payments that some of the most dangerous Mexican drug cartels use to buy fentanyl ingredients from Chinese chemical companies, the latest step in a renewed attempt to crack down on the multibillion-dollar fentanyl trade that kills thousands of Americans each year.
2023-08-05 19:20
Why did ‘GMA’ hosts go missing on August 4? Guest anchors fill in for Michael Strahan, George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts
The reason for their absence remained unknown throughout the broadcast as fill-in hosts Eva Pilgrim, Whit Johnson and Rebecca Jarvis took over
2023-08-05 18:58
