Police cleared of wrongdoing in shooting death of 6-year-old quadriplegic girl.
"Suspect was eyeing us in a threatening manner," says the police report.
Florida police have been cleared of wrongdoing by an investigation panel in the shooting death of a 6-year-old quadriplegic girl earlier this year.
The panel, which consisted of the officers involved in the shooting, found that the officers "Acted in good faith and within established use-of-force procedures." The report went on to describe the shooting as a "clear situation of urgent life-and-death decision-making in which officer's lives were threatened by suspect's insolent facial expression."
Asked how a little girl incapable of any movement below the neck could be a threat to officers, Police Union spokesman Todd O'Killbot said "Civilians just don't understand the dangers of the job. It's questions like that that put our lives in danger. In fact..." At that point O'Killbot drew his pistol and shot the reporter who had asked the question.
A recent uptick in such incidents has led to the installation of a paper-towel-style roll of preprinted internal investigation reports clearing officers of all wrongdoing in many precinct headquarters, with only the names and dates remaining to be filled out. "It saves on time and paperwork, which saves the taxpayers money," said State Comptroller Mitch Doggins.
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