San Bernardino Sheriff releases the name of the deputy who shot Airman Carrion, unarmed, and on the ground. As I noted in two previous posts, I have grave reservations about this department. My own experience has made it impossible for me to be neutral and my trust of anything they say hovers around, oh let's say, zero. So, when I read the following news article, I wasn't surprised. I still have serious doubts about the speed of the car as I'm familiar with the street they were on and typical of So. Calif. streets, there are dips at each intersection to allow for drainage and a low to the ground Corvette hitting those dips at that speed would have torn the car up or sent it air borne. I hit one going too fast one time in a VW Bug convertible with the top down and I nearly bounced out of the car. That was at about 15 miles too fast. At a 100, they would have been travelling at least 60 miles too fast. I just don't believe it. I have included three articles here, the last is the driver's statement. Although he was arrested at the scene, he was released without being charged with any charge.
From The Daily Bulletin:
Deputy who shot airman scrutinized in 2000 lawsuit
CHINO - A sheriff's deputy who shot an unarmed man at the end of a high-speed chase Sunday has previously been under scrutiny for suspected police misconduct in a 2000 lawsuit. San Bernardino County sheriff's officials identified the deputy involved in Sunday's shooting as 45-year-old Ivory John Webb. Webb remained on administrative leave and could not be reached for comment.
His attorney, Dana Fox, did not return two phone calls seeking comment.
Webb was one of seven deputies named in a civil police misconduct suit stemming from a July 2000 incident at West Valley Detention Center. The suit also named Sheriff Gary Penrod and San Bernardino County.
The failed suit alleged that two deputies grabbed a man who was being booked in West Valley Detention Center, threw him to the ground and then took him to a cell where the man's elbow was dislocated, the attorney for the plaintiff in the suit said Thursday.
The suit was filed by attorney John C. Burton on behalf of the injured man, Luis Ramirez.
"Webb was not involved, only to the extent that he didn't prevent it," Burton said. "He testified that he was holding Luis' legs down while they were inside the cell."
A judge declared a mistrial in the case after a jury hung 2 to 6 in favor of the deputies. Burton said the case was tried a second time and the jury still couldn't find the deputies used excessive force on Ramirez, Burton said.
Burton, who has handled police misconduct cases since 1984, said out of the hundreds of depositions he's taken over the years, the one Webb gave him stuck out. He said the man had difficulty answering simple questions about his background and hire date.
Webb was hired by the Sheriff's Department in October 1996. After graduating from the academy, he was assigned to West Valley Detention Center in March 1997. In August 2001, he was promoted and assigned to patrol at the Chino Hills station.
On Sunday, Webb began chasing Luis Fernando Escobedo after he was seen driving a blue Chevrolet Corvette more than 100 mph through a residential neighborhood, sheriff's officials said. Escobedo and his passenger, Elio Carrion, both 21, had come from a family get-together celebrating Carrion's return from Iraq where he was serving in the U.S. Air Force. The short chase ended on Francis Street in Chino when Escobedo slammed the car into a wall.
When Webb was trying to take the men into custody, he shot Carrion three times.
Sheriff's officials said homicide detectives are still investigating the officer-involved shooting, which was captured on home video by a resident across the street from where the crash occurred.
The cameraman, Jose Luis Valdes, voluntarily turned the tape over to sheriff's investigators for review. The tape will be turned over to the FBI to assist with the forensic review of the evidence, sheriff's officials said.
The FBI is investigating the shooting for possible civil-rights violations.
Carrion received gunshot wounds to the right side of his chest, left shoulder and left thigh. He suffered a bruise to his right lung and a fractured left leg, said Dr. Dev GnanaDev during a brief press conference Thursday afternoon in front of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.
"The left femur was operated and fixed," said GnanaDev, the center's medical director. "He is stable and recovering well."
Hospital officials didn't know when Carrion would be released from the hospital.
Luis Carrillo, a South Pasadena attorney representing Carrion's family, also spoke in front of the hospital Thursday. He said the family plans to make a public statement in several days.
He wouldn't go into detail about his conversations with Carrion, but said the Shreveport, La., man "reminds me of my 23-year-old son," Carrillo said.
"The family appreciates the prayers and support and love they've been receiving," he said.
Photo Gallery: Airman shot in Chino by Sheriff Deputy
Related Articles:
• Airman's driver: "I am responsible"
• Chino police footage still open to interpretation
• FBI begins probe of U.S. airman's shooting in Chino
• Airman shot by sheriff's deputy stable, wife says
and a second article:
Airman's family demands justice for shooting
SAN BERNARDINO - Relatives of Elio Carrion on Friday demanded justice and the arrest of a sheriff's deputy who shot the unarmed man three times following a high-speed chase. The parents of 21-year-old Carrion the Air Force senior airman shot in Chino on Sunday his wife and in-laws gathered in front of San Bernardino County sheriff's headquarters before a throng of about 50 reporters. "The family is united in demanding and seeking justice," said Luis Carrillo, an attorney who spoke for the family. "When a police officer uses deadly force on an unarmed suspect, that officer crosses the line into criminal misconduct."
Carrion's wife, Mariela, stood before the crowd, sometimes near tears and other times speaking sternly. She was surrounded by her parents, Ernesto and Maria Paz; Elio's parents, Heliodoro and Carmen; and Elio's two sisters. One of the sisters held a teddy bear wearing a camouflage hat.
Mariela Carrion, 19, did not answer questions about the shooting but said her husband, who remains hospitalized at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, is in good condition.
"My family is outraged because (the deputy) has not been arrested," she said. "Nobody ever deserves to be treated that way, especially Elio."
Carrillo would not indicate whether the family intends to seek civil action against the department for the shooting.
"The only step the family is concerned about is (Elio's) speedy recovery," Carrillo said.
Elio and Mariela Carrion, from Shreveport, La., were in town visiting relatives and were celebrating Carrion's recent return from a six-month tour in Iraq on the day of the shooting. Carrion was riding with his friend, Luis Fernando Escobedo, when San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Ivory J. Webb tried to pull them over for driving more than 100 mph through a residential neighborhood.
Escobedo led the deputy on a short chase and then crashed into a wall on Francis Street in Chino. While Webb tried to take the men into custody, he shot Carrion.
Jose Luis Valdes, a nearby resident who filmed the shooting, voluntarily turned a copy of the tape over to sheriff's investigators for review.
Deputies arrested Escobedo on suspicion of felony evading, but he was released from jail days later. He has not been charged.
At the direction of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI launched an investigation into possible civil-rights violations. The FBI has released no timeline on when its investigation would be completed.
Sheriff's officials had no comment regarding statements made by the Carrion family or their attorney. There was no new information regarding the department's investigation into the shooting or the chase.
"We won't receive any kind of updates until the investigation is thoroughly completed," said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
Webb, who has worked for the Sheriff's Department about 10 years, could not be reached for comment. Friends and family of the deputy have described him as levelheaded and "by the book." Webb is a former Iowa college football player and the son of a former police chief in Compton.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Photo Galleries:
• Shooting victim's family speaks
• Airman shot in Chino by Sheriff DeputyRelated Articles:
• Deputy who shot airman scrutinized in 2000 lawsuit
• Airman's driver: "I am responsible"
• Chino police footage still open to interpretation
• FBI begins probe of U.S. airman's shooting in Chino
• Airman shot by sheriff's deputy stable, wife says
and the third article:
Airman's driver apologizes for his actions
Escobedo expresses regret for events that led to shooting
CHINO - Luis Fernando Escobedo apologized on Wednesday to the family of a man shot by a sheriff's deputy, admitting that he didn't immediately pull over when authorities began chasing him. Escobedo, 21, the driver of the blue Chevrolet Corvette that slammed into a wall following a high-speed chase in Chino late Sunday, said he believes his actions contributed to his passenger, Elio Carrion, being shot.
"I am responsible for this - Elio had nothing to do with this. This is why I want to apologize to his family for what happened," Escobedo said.
Carrion, an Air Force military policeman on leave, was shot three times by the deputy. He remains at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. His family requested his condition not be released, though Escobedo said he was in good condition.
Escobedo, a Montclair resident who had been in custody at West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of felony evading, was released about 11 p.m. Tuesday. He said it was lights-out at the jail and he was getting ready for bed when deputies came to release him.
Prosecutors have not filed charges against the man.
Escobedo didn't explain why he didn't stop right away when the deputy began chasing him, saying he couldn't talk much about the case.
He did describe what he saw and heard at the scene, which was captured on home video by a neighbor.
While Carrion was on the ground, Escobedo said he remained inside the car in the driver's seat. He and Carrion both told the deputy they were not armed and then the deputy twice ordered Carrion to get up.
"Elio said, "OK, I'm going to get up' and as he pushed himself up, that's when he shot him," Escobedo said.
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies continued to investigate the shooting Wednesday, but officials said there were no updates on the case.
Sheriff's department spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said the report on the officer-involved shooting and the felony evading case may be submitted together to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office for review.
"It really is all one case," she said. "The pursuit led to the crash, which led to the confrontation and the shooting."
The District Attorney's Office has not filed charges against any on-duty officer involved in a shooting in at least 30 years, said spokeswoman Susan Mickey.
Officers have been charged in the past for off-duty activity, which includes shootings, she said.
Beavers declined to release the deputy's name because Sheriff Gary Penrod did not authorize it. It is a decision made on a case-by-case basis, she said.
The deputy has been on the force about 10 years and has had no previous disciplinary action taken against him, said sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
The shooting is also being investigated by the FBI for possible civil rights violations. The U.S. Attorney's Office requested the FBI investigate the case, a common procedure, officials said.
Carrion, 21, a senior airman who returned from serving about six months in Iraq two weeks ago, was riding with Escobedo to a friend's house when the chase began. The pair had been at a family get-together celebrating his return the night of the shooting.
Escobedo said he saw Carrion in the hospital Wednesday afternoon, the first time since the shooting. Carrion had been slated to report back to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for duty Wednesday. He was assigned to the 2nd Security Forces Squadron at the base.
His return now depends on his recovery and the outcome of the FBI and local law enforcement investigations, a base spokesman said.
"Airman Carrion is still in good standing with the Air Force," Lt. Frank Hartnett said. "However, once the various investigations that are being run right now ... if anything were to come of that, it might affect his standing with the Air Force."
Outcomes that could potentially impact his standing might include injuries that limit his abilities to carry out duties or any kind of criminal charges, Hartnett suggested.
Escobedo said he did not know if any of his friend's wounds were serious enough to jeopardize his ability to continue serving in the military.
Neighbors of Escobedo, a longtime resident on Camulos Street near the Montclair-Pomona border, were shocked when they discovered Escobedo had been in jail since Sunday. Some, who had seen video footage of the shooting on television, had no idea that Escobedo was just out of the video camera's view and within a few feet of the gunfire.
"I saw it on the news and when Luis walked out (of jail), I was like, "Whoa!'" said Carole Gallaway, who lives next door to Escobedo's family.
Ruben Garcia, who lives across the street, said he had no idea Escobedo was the driver of the blue Corvette that led a sheriff's deputy on the chase Sunday.
"I can't even place him doing something like that," Garcia said. "When I've known him, he's been a good kid."
Bill Simmons, who lives with Gallaway, said he has known Escobedo since he was 15 years old. Simmons, a carpenter, took Escobedo under his wing after he expressed interest in the carpentry trade.
Simmons helped Escobedo get into the carpenter's union and was his boss about three years.
"He's a great guy, he worked hard and I can't believe he's involved in this," he said. "That's out of his character."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Your comment about the dips in the street confirm my suspicions. I grew up in SoCal and I thought about all the dips in residential areas for storm run-offs. 100 mph in a Corvette is easy to do on the highway, but it would be nearly impossible on most residential streets.
Posted by: digitalbrownshirt | 04 February 2006 at 06:24 AM