burnin1
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From alternet.org/drugs
Six Weeks After Cop Killed Teen Over A Little Weed, Still No Dashcam Video
The chair of the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee is turning up the heat in the shooting of Zachary Hammond--and you can help.
By Justin Gardner / The Free Thought Project
September 8, 2015
Seneca, SC Six weeks after Police Lt. Mark Tiller fatally shot 19-year-old Zachary Hammond in his back through a car window during a sting over a few grams of pot, dashboard video has not been released.
Lt. Mark Tiller
This is contrary to other similar cases in South Carolina where video was released within three weeks. Also, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigators are using FOIA exemptions that have been rejected by the courts in previous lawsuits.
The longer authorities hold out in releasing this video, the more it will appear that they are hiding the trutha truth that will likely amount to cold-blooded murder.
State Sen. Larry Martin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is joining the chorus of those calling for the videos release.
Sen. Martin
If an investigation is pursuing a lead in a stage in the early hours or days, I can understand that. But to hold video for weeks or months begs the question, why is it being done that way? My thought is that the investigation needs to produce the videotape; it is reasonable in every police encounter that rises to this level. If its being concealed because it does shed negative light on the officers actions, thats an obvious outcry.
Seneca city officials are so frightened of public scrutiny they are paying at least $15,000 to a PR firm named Complete Public Relations to handle inquiries. Spokesman Tim Brett described the citys position on releasing the video, which amounts to no position at all. Seneca officials are neither joining the call for release of the video nor opposing its release.
This seeming indifference may actually be the best advice of attorneys, since autopsy results and witness statements are contradicting their official story.
Zach Hammond
Most recently, Hammonds passenger in the car, Tori Morton, provided a damning affidavit on events that night. She describes how they were sharing an ice cream cone in the unmoving car when two officers emerged from their police SUV, yelling Were going to blow your heads off, and immediately started firing.
Tiller is claiming that Hammonds car was barreling toward him and Tiller feared for his life, but Mortons statement contradicts this. Other witnesses also said Hammonds car was not moving when Tiller shot him.
An autopsy commissioned by the familys attorneys shows that the bullets traveled from Hammonds back to front, which further refutes the departments story that Hammond was trying to run down Tiller.
If this werent enough for the grieving family, a witness reported to the FBI that an officer got something out of his patrol cars trunk and placed an object beneath Hammonds corpse, which is most likely the white powdery substance allegedly found at the scene. And, more disturbingly, the witness reported seeing officers lifting Hammonds dead hand and high-fiving it.
Attorneys for Hammonds family will soon be filing a lawsuit against SLED to compel release of the dashcam video. If court precedence takes effect, the FOIA exemptions currently being used by SLED will be rejected, as they were in previous similar cases.
State Sen. Martin, whose district is near the scene of the shooting, is getting lots of questions from constituents about why the dashcam video has not been released. Agencies have been quick to release other videosduring the course of investigationsthat exonerate cops.
There does seem to be a disparate treatment of those videos, no question about that. If its good to release it if its favorable, then whats the harm in releasing it if its bad, said Martin. Unless theres some material aspect of the Seneca video that leads investigators into a direction that isnt obvious, I come down on the side that videos should be released as quickly as possible, because that seems to be what law enforcement is doing throughout the state. After a preliminary period of time for due diligence, there comes a point where shielding video is no longer necessary. The problem in this case is it seems to be playing out so differently. Were waiting. Why?
As pressure piles on state agencies to release the video, we should be prepared to see that another innocent young life was taken in cold blood by a foot soldier in the War on Drugs.
If you are sick of this happening and want the truth to be revealed, help out by calling the state and local parties involved to demand release of the dashcam video.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (investigatory agency withholding the video): (803) 737-9000
Seneca Police Department: (864) 885-2718
Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander: (864) 882-1730
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/six-weeks-after-cop-killed-teen-little-weed-no-dashcam-video
Six Weeks After Cop Killed Teen Over A Little Weed, Still No Dashcam Video
The chair of the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee is turning up the heat in the shooting of Zachary Hammond--and you can help.
By Justin Gardner / The Free Thought Project
September 8, 2015
Seneca, SC Six weeks after Police Lt. Mark Tiller fatally shot 19-year-old Zachary Hammond in his back through a car window during a sting over a few grams of pot, dashboard video has not been released.
Lt. Mark Tiller
This is contrary to other similar cases in South Carolina where video was released within three weeks. Also, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigators are using FOIA exemptions that have been rejected by the courts in previous lawsuits.
The longer authorities hold out in releasing this video, the more it will appear that they are hiding the trutha truth that will likely amount to cold-blooded murder.
State Sen. Larry Martin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is joining the chorus of those calling for the videos release.
Sen. Martin
If an investigation is pursuing a lead in a stage in the early hours or days, I can understand that. But to hold video for weeks or months begs the question, why is it being done that way? My thought is that the investigation needs to produce the videotape; it is reasonable in every police encounter that rises to this level. If its being concealed because it does shed negative light on the officers actions, thats an obvious outcry.
Seneca city officials are so frightened of public scrutiny they are paying at least $15,000 to a PR firm named Complete Public Relations to handle inquiries. Spokesman Tim Brett described the citys position on releasing the video, which amounts to no position at all. Seneca officials are neither joining the call for release of the video nor opposing its release.
This seeming indifference may actually be the best advice of attorneys, since autopsy results and witness statements are contradicting their official story.
Zach Hammond
Most recently, Hammonds passenger in the car, Tori Morton, provided a damning affidavit on events that night. She describes how they were sharing an ice cream cone in the unmoving car when two officers emerged from their police SUV, yelling Were going to blow your heads off, and immediately started firing.
Tiller is claiming that Hammonds car was barreling toward him and Tiller feared for his life, but Mortons statement contradicts this. Other witnesses also said Hammonds car was not moving when Tiller shot him.
An autopsy commissioned by the familys attorneys shows that the bullets traveled from Hammonds back to front, which further refutes the departments story that Hammond was trying to run down Tiller.
If this werent enough for the grieving family, a witness reported to the FBI that an officer got something out of his patrol cars trunk and placed an object beneath Hammonds corpse, which is most likely the white powdery substance allegedly found at the scene. And, more disturbingly, the witness reported seeing officers lifting Hammonds dead hand and high-fiving it.
Attorneys for Hammonds family will soon be filing a lawsuit against SLED to compel release of the dashcam video. If court precedence takes effect, the FOIA exemptions currently being used by SLED will be rejected, as they were in previous similar cases.
State Sen. Martin, whose district is near the scene of the shooting, is getting lots of questions from constituents about why the dashcam video has not been released. Agencies have been quick to release other videosduring the course of investigationsthat exonerate cops.
There does seem to be a disparate treatment of those videos, no question about that. If its good to release it if its favorable, then whats the harm in releasing it if its bad, said Martin. Unless theres some material aspect of the Seneca video that leads investigators into a direction that isnt obvious, I come down on the side that videos should be released as quickly as possible, because that seems to be what law enforcement is doing throughout the state. After a preliminary period of time for due diligence, there comes a point where shielding video is no longer necessary. The problem in this case is it seems to be playing out so differently. Were waiting. Why?
As pressure piles on state agencies to release the video, we should be prepared to see that another innocent young life was taken in cold blood by a foot soldier in the War on Drugs.
If you are sick of this happening and want the truth to be revealed, help out by calling the state and local parties involved to demand release of the dashcam video.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (investigatory agency withholding the video): (803) 737-9000
Seneca Police Department: (864) 885-2718
Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander: (864) 882-1730
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/six-weeks-after-cop-killed-teen-little-weed-no-dashcam-video
