Posts Tagged ‘Katrina’

Former Police Officer Involved in Danziger Bridge Shooting Convicted

December 2nd, 2011 | Posted in Courts, Katrina, Local Issues, NOPD by bloom | No Comments »

Robert Barrios, a former New Orleans police officer who was involved in the Danziger Bridge shooting in Katrina’s aftermath, was sentenced to five years in federal prison Thursday. On September 4th, 2005, Mr. Barrios arrived at the Danziger Bridge with other police officers and shot at six unarmed civilians, two of which were killed. Barrios and the other officers claimed, falsely, that one of the men on the bridge shot at them, which provoked their actions.

According to FBI records and documents procured during the trial, Mr. Barrios had a shotgun with him on the bridge but never actually fired the weapon. Nevertheless, he was the last of the five officers involved to cooperate with the FBI in their investigation. Barrios’ actions, or lack thereof, in assisting the investigation and trying to conceal evidence incurred the ire of U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon, who imposed the maximum sentence of five years for conspiracy to obstruct justice.

In a brief statement after he was convicted, Barrios said “I hope the families find it in their hearts to forgive the role I played in this.”

If you are seeking legal representation in Louisiana, Bloom Legal is available 24/7 at 504-599-9997 or online at http://www.bloomlegal.com. Call us today for a free case evaluation.

Guilty Verdicts Delivered in Henry Glover Case

December 10th, 2010 | Posted in Katrina, Local Issues, NOPD, Personal Injury by bloom | No Comments »

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten was very pleased with the court’s Thursday verdict calling it a victory for the honest officers who serve this city and an indictment of the men who, “thought they were above the law and weren’t.”

Photo of Henry Glover Courtesy of nola.com

Justice came slowly for the Glover family who waited for years as the truth slowly bubbled to the surface and a cover up began to take shape. A jury of five men and seven women found Officer David Warren guilty of manslaughter, Officer Gregory McRae guilty of obstruction of justice for burning Henry Glovers body, and Lieutenant Travis McCabe guilty of obstruction of justice for falsifying a report. However, Lieutenant Robert Italiano was declared innocent, not having known about the lies on the report he signed.

Officer Warren’s conviction carries with it the possibility of life in prison, but at this point that seems to be an unlikely outcome. The jury found the policeman guilty of manslaughter rather than murder which implies that he may receive a more lenient sentence. Regardless of the punishment, the three guilty verdicts help to heal some of the wounds of Katrina for the Glover family and for the city.

If you or someone you know are victims of police corruption or miscarriage of justice, contact Bloom Legal at 504-599-9997 to schedule a free consultation to discuss the details of your case.

Orleans Parish Criminal Court releases statement of case backlog

July 21st, 2010 | Posted in Courts by bloom | No Comments »

The Orleans Parish Criminal District Court has released numbers from a Metropolitan Crime Commission analysis of 2009 showing that judges have reduced the buildup of old cases on their dockets. Following Hurricane Katrina, the courts were swamped with a backlog of cases that slowed proceedings in the Criminal Courts. The statistics released from the Crime Commission show that judges have diminished their pileup of old cases with improved case processing. Time between arrest and completion of trial has dramatically fallen since Hurricane Katrina. The 2009 median case processing time for all 12 sections of criminal court was 120 days, 20 days shorter than the 2008 number, and a far cry from the 232 days in 2007. Over the three year period, the courts have made tremendous progress in operating more efficiently. Particularly when considering the actions of District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro in accepting more cases, and loading judges with more cases. This trend is very beneficial for the city of New Orleans. Decreased time between arrest and trial conclusion means less money spent by the city in housing defendants in jail. This allows the city to focus their expenditures on other areas that need improvement. Hopefully the Orleans Parish judges continue their good work and we will see their case load reach the national level of efficiency.

Judges’ Recusals End Katrina Greenhouse-Gas Suit

June 4th, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues by bloom | No Comments »

In April of 2007, the Massachusetts v EPA case ended with the Supreme Court acknowledging the man made phenomenon, Global Warming. This helped inspire several Mississippi Coast residents to file suit against numerous energy companies for their contribution to Katrina by polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse-gases. In October, a three-judge panel gave the plaintiffs the right to pursue an appeal for an earlier ruling. But when the case reached the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, it could not be tried in en banc fashion due to the recusals of several judges. The conflicting interests of these judges were most probably a result of connections with the defendants in previous cases, or current investments. With only eight judges left to rule on the case, it became erroneous due to an even number, which lead to the clerk dismissing the appeal.

The only chance now for the plaintiffs is to make an appeal directly to the Supreme Court. With the help of three judges, Eugene Davis, Carl Stewart and James Dennis, and their dissents about the dismissal, these Mississippians might have a chance in the Supreme Court, but that does not mean they will be victorious in the end.

New Orleans police officer under investigation in shooting in days after Katrina

February 13th, 2010 | Posted in Local Issues, NOPD by bloom | No Comments »

By The Times-Picayune
February 13, 2010, 9:45AM

By Brendan McCarthy and Laura Maggi, staff writers
and A.C. Thompson, ProPublica

Henry Glover’s burned remains were found weeks after Hurricane Katrina inside an abandoned, nearly incinerated car on the Algiers levee.

A former New Orleans police officer is under investigation for shooting Henry Glover outside an Algiers strip mall four days after Hurricane Katrina, the first act in a bizarre chain of events that has led to a massive federal probe into the city’s Police Department. Continue Reading »

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