Steven Eugene Washington, 27
Police Commission overrules chief, says LAPD shooting was wrong
The commission rejects the chief's finding that officers made mistakes but were ultimately justified in killing an unarmed autistic man.
By Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times
March 5, 2011
The civilian commission that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department has taken the rare step of rejecting a recommendation from the department's chief, ruling that two police officers were wrong when they fatally shot an unarmed autistic man last year.
Police Chief Charlie Beck concluded after a lengthy internal investigation that the officers made serious tactical mistakes during the brief, late-night encounter, but ultimately were justified in using deadly force against Steven Eugene Washington, 27.
About midnight on March 20, Officers Allan Corrales and George Diego, who worked in an anti-gang unit, were driving in a marked patrol car along Vermont Avenue in the city's Koreatown neighborhood. Both officers told investigators they heard a loud noise — which one described as a "deep boom" — behind them, according to Beck's report on the incident.
The Times obtained a redacted version of the report, which conceals the officers' names. Because of the redactions it is not possible to tell what role each officer played in the shooting.
Looking behind them, the officers saw Washington walking on the sidewalk in the opposite direction. They turned the car around and drove slowly behind him. The officer in the passenger seat rolled down his window and called out to the man, the report said. The officer told investigators Washington turned toward him, gave him a "hard" look, then reached into the waistband area of his pants, according to the report.
The officer who was driving pulled up alongside Washington. From a few feet away, his partner saw a dark object tucked into Washington's waistband and, convinced it was a gun, drew his own weapon and pointed it at the man, according to the report.
Washington, according to the officers' account in the report, turned abruptly and began to walk directly toward the patrol car as the driving officer brought the car to a stop. The officer in the passenger seat told investigators Washington had a "blank stare" as if in a daze and ignored orders to raise his hands.
From the car, the officer fired a single shot, then ducked down below the window. The shot struck Washington in the head.
Washington had no weapon. The dark object the officer observed was probably Washington's black cellphone. In describing the shooting, the officer initially told investigators that he had seen the object in Washington's hand and that Washington had pointed it at them as he approached.
Los Angeles County coroner's officials, however, found the cellphone still in its holster attached to Washington's waistband.
When pressed by investigators on whether he actually saw an object in Washington's hand, the officer backed away from his statement, saying, "I — honestly, it was so quick so then I was — it was a split second. You know, I couldn't tell."
After jumping out of the car, the driving officer also fired a single shot a few seconds after his partner fired, according to the report. The officer said Washington was still standing when he fired. Investigators were not able to determine if that was possible.
The shooting drew sharp criticism from Washington's family, who said the man was autistic and fearful of strangers. Civil liberties groups questioned the shooting, suggesting that the officers may have overreacted because they had not observed Washington doing anything criminal.
Based on the investigation's findings, Beck found Corrales and Diego had violated department policies in how they approached and engaged Washington, but decided it was reasonable for them to believe the man had a gun and intended to shoot them.
In a unanimous decision, however, the civilian commission found differently. The panel said Corrales and Diego violated department policies that govern when an officer can use lethal force.
The commission almost always follows the chief's recommendations on cases in which officers use serious force. Since Beck became chief more than a year ago, the panel has overruled him only three times out of dozens of cases.
Beck, who alone can impose discipline, initiated disciplinary proceedings against Corrales and Diego following the commission's finding, according to a senior LAPD official who requested anonymity because discipline cases are confidential. Beck declined to comment.
Paul Weber, president of the union representing rank-and-file officers, said he strongly disagreed with the commission's conclusion.
"I don't know what they expect officers to do," he said. "Wait until one of them is shot before they react?"
A commission report outlining its reasoning on the case is expected to be released early next week.
joel.rubin@latimes.com
Ryan Emory, Age 16
Teen Killed In Jump From Ambulance; Lawsuit Filed
Suit Filed On Anniversary Of 16-Year-Old's Death
WYFF4
POSTED: 11:16 am EDT March 23, 2011
UPDATED: 8:30 pm EDT March 23, 2011
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- WYFF News 4 has learned that the family of an autistic teenager who died a year ago after jumping out of a moving ambulance has filed a lawsuit against the ownership of Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Ryan Emory, 16, died on February 28, 2010 while being transferred by ambulance to a hospital in Columbia. Greenville Health Corporation owns Greenville Memorial Hospital and the hospital's Mobile Care Ambulance service.
Shortly after Ryan’s death, his mother, Shelley Hodge, said two local psychiatric hospitals had refused to admit him and that’s why he was being transported to Columbia.
According to the lawsuit, Ryan was admitted to the emergency department of Greenville Memorial Hospital on Feb. 26. Emergency department records said that Emory became “extremely agitated and volatile and displayed symptoms of aggression,” and that Ryan said he was going to “hurt himself and exhibited outbursts of anger, crying and screaming when he was informed he was to be transferred to William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says that despite Ryan and his mother’s objections, arrangements were made to transfer him. The lawsuit says that the transfer form indicated known risks with the transfer and identified “security” as accompanying personnel.
The suit alleges that during transport, Ryan was allowed to release himself from the stretcher, open the back door of the ambulance and fall from the ambulance into Interstate 85.
Ryan died of multiple head and body trauma and cardiac arrest.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleges gross negligence and recklessness and seeks compensation for “conscious pain and suffering of Ryan prior to his death, as well as for his necessary funeral and burial expense and cost of probate.” The family is seeking a jury trial.
Eleven-year-old autistic boy dies in fire; grandmother charged for leaving him alone
BY Oren Yaniv, Erin Durkin and Jonathan Lemire
DAILY NEWS
Originally Published:Tuesday, February 16th 2010, 12:16 PM
Updated: Tuesday, February 16th 2010, 11:21 PM
An autistic 11-year-old boy who can barely speak died in a fire that he set Tuesday when his grandmother left him alone in her Brooklyn apartment, officials and witnesses said.
Tavon Turpin used matches or a lighter to ignite the blaze in a hallway closet while his grandmother, Melinda McLain, 59, had gone to a deli near the Coney Island apartment, police said.
The grandmother was hit with criminal charges for leaving home without Tavon, who recently sparked a small fire by cooking a cell phone in a microwave, police and FDNY sources said.
"The kid didn't have a chance," said neighbor Wigberto Figueroa, 34. "It's so sad."
Tavon, who lived with McLain in Coney Islands's Ocean Towers, set the blaze around noon. Firefighters tried to revive the boy after pulling him from the 15th-floor flat, but he couldn't be saved.
McLain returned home, saw Tavon's lifeless body and broke down, weeping.
She was arrested Tuesday night at Coney Island Hospital, where she was being treated for smoke inhalation and asthma. Cops charged her with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, police sources said.
"She loved that boy," said neighbor Allen Pearsall, 48. "That little boy was this lady's life. None of us are perfect."
Four years ago in the same complex, a 7-year-old boy playing with a lighter sparked an inferno that killed three others. Ricardo (Rico) Clark, 16, and his two cousins, Jahgiria Sheffer, 10, and Jahnae O'Pharrow, 3, died after being trapped in their bedrooms.
Hours before Tuesday's fire, a 60-year-old grandmother died after surging flames trapped her inside her Queens apartment.
The blaze tore through the living room of Deborah Kelly's 17th-floor apartment in Lefrak City building just before 3 a.m., blocking the front door, witnesses said.The cause of that fire remains under investigation, but doesn't appear suspicious, FDNY officials said.
Neighbors said Kelly, a mother of two, had lived in the building for about 12 years. She shared her apartment with a daughter and a granddaughter. They weren't home at the time of the fire, neighbors said.
"She was a very lovely person," neighbor Loretta Henderson said. "They're a close family. It's sad."
oyaniv@nydailynews.com
Timothy Aleshire, age 27
Gail Rosenblum: Could training in restraint use have averted this tragedy?
Nancy Aleshire is fighting mad. Her son, Timothy Aleshire, 27, was near death Wednesday, after being physically restrained by four people at his state-operated workplace in Eden Prairie.
Aleshire isn't making excuses for her son, who has struggled for years with schizophrenia, developmental disabilities and Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. She is candid about his violent history, including coming at his 4-foot-10 mother with a knife on a few occasions, and nearly strangling her on another. The key word, though, is "history."
For the past four or five years, Tim, who lives in a group home in Minneapolis with a trained, round-the-clock staff, has been making impressive progress. He was taking his antipsychotic medication and hadn't struck his mother in that entire time. He was not problem-free, but his emotional outbursts were fewer and his strategy for dealing with them encouraging.
"When he would see himself getting aggressive, he would go into his room, as opposed to hurting somebody," Nancy said. "That's where he was at."
Something happened Dec. 31 that caused him to swing at a co-worker at Metro Resources Technology Park. He was held down for an unknown period, then rushed to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. According to the medical report, he had no pulse for 30 minutes.
His mother signed papers Tuesday to allow his organs to be donated should the time come. She hopes criminal charges will be filed or, at least, somebody will get fired.
"My question is: Why four people?" she said. "Being the victim of Tim's assaults, I certainly understand the need for restraining him, but that never resulted in him losing consciousness and going into cardiac arrest.
"Tim," she said, "would want me to fight for him."
Finger-pointing is human, but more helpful is a transparent investigation, which the police and state Department of Human Services have promised.
Disabled man dies of injuries after being restrained at work
Star Tribune
Tim Aleshire, a 27-year-old developmentally disabled man injured while being restrained last week by a handful of people at his state-operated workplace in Eden Prairie, has died, his mother said.
Nancy Aleshire said that her son died Friday. She has yet to hear what the Hennepin County medical examiner's office has determined about the cause of Tim's death.
He was injured Dec. 31 when four people at Metro Resources Technology Park restrained him as he tried to assault a co-worker, Nancy Aleshire said. He remained unconscious until his death, she said.
Police in Eden Prairie are investigating the death. The state Department of Human Services, which runs Metro Resources, is conducting an internal inquiry. Neither is saying more about the case.
Aleshire said Monday that she has hired an attorney to pursue a civil wrongful-death claim against Metro Resources and possibly others.
By GREG WELTER-Staff Writer
Posted: 08/04/2010 10:50:42 AM PDT
WILLOWS — A Willows man has been arrested following a lengthy investigation for possibly contributing to the death of his 20-year-old brother in November 2009, in Elk Creek.
Stuart Allen Hildebrand, 22, was booked into the Glenn County Jail in Willows Monday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and causing pain, suffering or injury to an elder or dependent adult. Hildebrand's brother, Walter Knox Hildebrand Jr., suffered from autism. Walter Hildebrand was found dead on the floor of a bedroom inside a mobile home on County Road 306. Investigators said his body had numerous scratches, cuts and facial bruising. His death was reported by his brother.
An autopsy revealed that the man died of apparent seizure activity due to a known disorder. Although the cause of death is natural, Sheriff Larry Jones said the potential for criminal negligence and physical abuse was present.
The autopsy further revealed that autism and malnutrition were contributing factors in the young man's death.
After several interviews with family members, friends and the suspect, a complaint was issued with the Glenn County District Attorney's office and an arrest warrant issued. Hildebrand is being held on bail of $35,000.
Bernard Latimore, age 10
By Austin L. Miller
Staff writer
Published: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
The woman who was taken to a hospital Friday afternoon after her 10-year-old autistic son drowned in a murky swimming pool has been released and is feeling much better, according to a Marion County Sheriff’s official.
Katese Richardson was overcome with grief when she saw her son’s body before it was taken away by the Medical Examiner’s Office. She was released from the hospital Friday night, but no one was at her home Saturday afternoon.
Bernard Latimore, an autistic child who could not speak, had wandered away from his Northwest 57th Court home and could not be found despite the search efforts of sheriff’s deputies, canines and neighbors. His body eventually was found in a nearby neighbor’s pool.
Additional details became available Saturday from a Sheriff’s Office report.
Richardson left her home around 8 a.m. for work, leaving her 16-year-old son, Bernard, and her two other children at the home. One of the children, the woman told deputies, saw Bernard leave the home and walk south on Northwest 57th Court. The child tried to stop her brother from leaving, but he kept walking.
The girl, officials say, then woke up her 16-year-old brother, and they went outside looking for Bernard. Sheriff’s officials said Richardson called them at 10:12 a.m.
During the search, officials came upon a neighbor who said he had been sleeping when he heard someone knocking on the door. The man said he looked outside and saw someone carrying a pink pillow case. Thinking it was a salesman, the man ignored the knock.
About 11:30 a.m., two deputies went to a nearby residence that had a pool. They did not see anything, and the doors were locked. The pool, officials say, had algae and no one could see the bottom.
The woman who lives there told the Star-Banner on Saturday that she and her mother came home sometime after 1 p.m. and noticed a pillow floating in the pool. They called officials, who in turn saw a pink pillow floating on the south side of the pool.
An autopsy was not performed on the child on Saturday, according to officials.
Family experienced severe behavioural problems with autistic son
By RICHARD LIEBRECHT, SUN MEDIA
Last Updated: September 30, 2009 3:16am
It was a "loving, caring" father who killed his 11-year-old autistic son before killing himself, according to family.
That message was passed through a social worker who tried helping the family cope with struggles that bring many parents to the edge.
"I wasn't surprised. It was a feeling of dread, like oh my god, it happened," said Karen Phillips, program director for the Autism Society of Edmonton Area, who worked directly with the suffering family.
"(The mother) said (the father) just couldn't handle it anymore. He couldn't cope. He was worried his son wasn't going to get what he needed.
"Something had to give here."
She broke down, saying, "the bottom line here is that I do worry. There are other families that I worry about. There's intense stress over the long term. It puts people at very high risk, so no, I wasn't very surprised."
The 39-year-old father locked himself in the basement of the family's home at 8403 138 Ave. and, somehow, committed the acts.
The causes of their deaths have not been released, at the request of the surviving mother to protect her remaining young son, said Patrycia Thenu, police spokesman.
However, cops are dubbing it a homicide-suicide.
The bodies were found by family just before 1 p.m. Sunday.
The 11-year-old threw thrashing fits and slept poorly, said Phillips.
In the spring of 2008, he had such a tantrum that his family took him to Royal Alexandra hospital.
"The family gets to the point of becoming unglued. They don't know what to do," said Phillips.
Royal Alex staff originally said it was the wrong place to take him, she said.
She notes that there are no emergency services for autistic people when parents lose control. Also, parents never really know if their child is freaking out because something is medically wrong with them.
The 11-year-old spent 20 hours strapped to a hospital bed, screaming, said Phillips.
It was the breaking point. After 10 years of home care, the family sought to have their son sent out for care.
"They were wondering what they were going to do now with his severe behavioural problems," said Phillips.
It took some time to find a placement.
Meanwhile, the family was stressed. The stress didn't break, even as a group home took the 11-year-old on weekdays.
"Mom has said it's kind of been an accumulation of stress that's built up over time," said Phillips.
Phillips urged that the government and community must step forward to offer parents of autistic children more support, especially for emergency relief.
RICHARD.LIEBRECHT@SUNMEDIA.CA
