Photo Gallery: Some High Profile Police Brutality Cases
Some High Profile
Police Brutality Cases
All across the country, lists of police brutality victims -- or people who claim they have been victims of police excessive force -- are long and common. And many of those cases remain unresolved. But, every now and then, a police brutality case, so flagrant, outrageous or unbelivable, draws widespread media coverage and holds the nation's collective attention. They spark riots and demonstrations, pushing the public to demand answers and justice from government or law enforcement. Here are a few of those high-profile cases.
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Cincinnati Enquirer
Timothy Thomas
Timothy Thomas, Cincinnati -- April 2001: The shooting death of the unarmed 19-year old was the 15th African American killed by Cincinnati police within five years. The incident sparked the 2001 Cincinnati riots and shed light on the issue of racial profiling.
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Richard Patterson, AP
Abner Louima
Abner Louima, NY -- Aug. 1997: The Haitian immigrant won an $8.75 million lawsuit after his arrest outside a Brooklyn nightclub. While in custody, police officers sodomized the then 30-year-old with a plunger inside the station's bathroom. One officer, Justin Volpe, is still in prison.
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Amadou Diallo
Amadou Diallo, NY -- Feb. 1999: Shot to death in the vestibule of his Bronx apartment building by undercover officers while the 23-year-old reached for his wallet. The officers fired 41 shots, hitting Diallo 19 times. They were acquitted of all charges.
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Ed Bailey, AP
Danny Reyes
Danny Reyes, NJ -- April 1998: Reyes was of four young New York men pulled over by New Jersey state troopers on their way to basketball camp in North Carolina. According to Reyes, he mistakenly put the car into reverse while talking to the officer. The cops opened fire shooting all four of the men, including Reyes, six times. Although all charges against the officers were thrown out, the case set off a federal investigation into racial profiling on the nation's highway.
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W. A. Bridges, Jr.. Journal Constitution/ AP
Kathryn Johnston
Kathryn Johnson, Atlanta -- Nov. 2006: The 93-year-old grandmother was shot to death in her own home after plain-clothed officers obtained a 'no-knock' warrant and stormed inside her one-story brick home.
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Bill Haber, AP
Robert Davis
Robert Davis, New Orleans -- Oct. 2005: While walking in the French Quarter, the 64-year-old retired elementary school teacher was confronted by four police officers beating him, hitting him several times in the head, and arresting him for public intimidation.
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Kevork Djansezian , AP
Rodney King
Rodney King, LA -- March 1991: A global symbol of police brutality. Officers were caught on tape repeatedly beating King, then 26, with batons; they were later acquitted of charges igniting one of the worst riots in US history.
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Peter Foley, EPA/Corbis
Sean Bell
Sean Bell, NY-- Nov. 2006: While leaving his bachelor party at a Queens strip club, undercover officers fired more than 50 bullets into Bell's car, killing the 23-year-old and seriously injuring two friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield.
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Los Angeles Police Dept / AP
Stanley Miller
Stanley Miller, Los Angeles -- June 2004: After stealing a car and leading the police on a high pursuit chase, Miller, a 39-year-old Los Angeles man was beaten by an officer using a metal flashlight. He was hit 11 times after being grounded by a group of officers. He settled with the L.A. City Council for $450,000.
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Shawano Cleary , AP
Terrance Shurn
Terrance Shurn, Benton Harbor, Michigan -- June 2003. Shurn, 28, died when he crashed his motorcycle into a building while fleeing police officers. His death sparked riots during which cars and buildings in Benton Harbor were burned. Shurn was reportedly carrying an ounce of marijuana.
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John Marshall Mantel, AP
Timothy Stansbury
Timothy Stansbury, NY -- January 2004: Stansbury was a 19 year old who worked at McDonald's. He was shot and killed on a Brooklyn rooftop while making his way across several buildings to borrow CDs from a friend who lived a few doors down. He was shot in the chest by police officer Richard S. Neri Jr., who later said it was an accident.
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