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Hurricane Katrina
Officers fired for Katrina beating
A third officer was suspended for beating a reporter. A union official has vowed to challenge the dismissals.
Associated Press
Published December 22, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - Two police officers were fired Wednesday for a beating in the French Quarter shortly after Hurricane Katrina that was photographed and videotaped by the Associated Press. A third officer was suspended.
A union official vowed to fight the firings of officers Robert Evangelist and Lance Schilling for their role in the beating of 64-year-old Robert Davis. Officer Stuart Smith was suspended for 120 days.
The officers' lawyer said the department rushed the firings. Ordinarily, said attorney Frank DeSalvo, a dismissal occurs only after an officer has been tried on criminal charges.
"They never thought they'd get a fair shake from this department," DeSalvo said.
The confrontation renewed longstanding allegations of racism, brutality and corruption in the New Orleans Police Deparment. The three officers are white, and Davis is black. Davis said he does not believe race was an issue in the beating.
Evangelist and Schilling were accused of battery against Davis. Smith was accused of battery against a reporter. All three officers had been suspended without pay since the incident. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and face trial Jan. 11.
[Last modified December 22, 2005, 00:59:14]
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