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The U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division investigating Danziger Bridge shooting
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Lance Madison Danziger Bridge New Orleans
The U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division in the fall took over an investigation into the shooting of civilians by police on the Danziger Bridge at the Industrial Canal, after a state case against the officers fell apart. James Brissette, a 19-year-old high-school dropout, and Ronald Madison, described by his family as mentally challenged, were killed.
The Danziger Bridge shooting, which left two men dead and four people wounded on Sept. 4, 2005, led to a state grand jury indictment of seven police officers, on murder and attempted murder charges, in late 2006. The charges were dismissed in the fall by a state judge, who concluded that prosecutor errors during the grand jury process tainted the case.
While the shooting victims at the Danziger have said they were unarmed and ambushed by police, the officers have maintained they fired their guns only after first taking fire.I know Lance Madison's brother,he is a fine dentist,accusing this family of carrying weapons and firing on police officers is about as probable as Mary Landrieu firing on police officers.Professor Dane Ciolino summed it up best, a criminal law expert at Loyola Law School in New Orleans, says a more reasonable charge would have been negligent homicide instead of first degree murder that the DA Eddie Jordan wanted.
"These officers should not have shot at these individuals," he says. "But I think most people believe that, if anything, they were negligent. They certainly didn't have the motive to go out and kill anyone. This was not a case, as we've had in New Orleans, where police officers have been drug dealers and gone out and intentionally killed witnesses."
"In the best spirit of law enforcement coordination, and at the request of the victim's families, the New Orleans District Attorney Keva Landrum Johnson at the time,has referred the matter to the United States Department of Justice for review," U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said in a statement.
Letten said his office, the Justice Department and the FBI would take "as much time and resources as necessary to determine whether there are any prosecutable violations of federal criminal laws in this matter."
Sgt. Kenneth Bowen, Sgt. Robert Gisevius Jr., Officer Anthony Villavaso II and former Officer Robert Faulcon Jr. each faced first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in the case. Judge Bigelow also threw out attempted first-degree murder charges against Officer Mike Hunter Jr. and Officer Robert Barrios and attempted second-degree murder charges against Officer Ignatius Hills.
Judge Bigelow-Infamous for Danziger Bridge and Razoo Bar Bouncer murder trials in which he seemed more like a defense attorney then an unbiased judge.
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