Scott McCabe, The Examiner
2007-09-21 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

District of Columbia police began publicly rallying around the veteran officer who shot a 14-year-old Monday night in a puzzling confrontation, describing him as a church-going family man with a spotless record.

A day after D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that federal authorities were taking over the investigation into the shooting of teenager DeOnte Rawlings, colleagues of Officer James Haskel, 44, expressed growing discontent at the way the case was being handled.

Helicopter pilot Officer Brad Belden said Haskel, his partner, was following the No. 1 rule of policing: “Get home at night.”

“He’s being portrayed as a murderer,” Belden said. “He is a good man, a fine man and God-fearing man and a good police officer. He was just doing his job.”

Haskel and fellow Officer Anthony Clay, both off-duty and not in uniform, confronted Rawlings after Haskel learned that a mini bike had been stolen from his home, police said.

There was an exchange of gunfire and DeOnte died from a gunshot wound to the head. Police have not recovered the weapon used to fire at the officers or the mini bike.

Police offered few answers in the shooting, while residents of Condon Terrace, the Southeast apartment complex where the shooting took place, continued to express concern the investigation was not being executed fairly.

Officer Thomas Crabb, also with the helicopter unit, said people should wait until the results of the investigation before jumping to conclusions.

“A loss of life is a horrible tragedy,” Crabb said, “but Officer Haskel was a victim and it’s a shame that he and his family have to deal with this.”

One resident of the neighborhood said she had seen an unfamiliar vehicle, fitting the description of Haskel’s black sport utility vehicle, driving up and down the alley before the shooting.

Minutes before the shots, she said, the vehicle stopped abruptly behind her apartment, and then reversed toward the vicinity of the shooting.

D.C. police said they could not release when authorities were called about the burglary because the information was part of the investigation, but they did confirm that the mini bike had been stolen from the officer’s home.

D.C. police said the Spot Shotter system, GPS technology used to pinpoint the location of a gunshot, confirmed that two guns were fired at the same time.

Christopher Weaver contributed to this story.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com