TheeBadOne
September 5, 2003, 06:14 PM
Minneapolis police officer cleared of wrongdoing in shooting of SUV driver
There is no basis for criminal charges against a Minneapolis police officer in the fatal shooting of a driver who dragged another officer with a sport-utility vehicle while trying to flee police, a grand jury ruled Thursday.
Officer Mark Bohnsack and another officer stopped Eric Netters on May 7 because he was hot rodding on W. Broadway, police said. When officer James Boyd told Netters he would be arrested and reached in the door to get him out of the vehicle, Netters hit the gas pedal, catching Boyd's arm in the door and dragging him down the street.
Bohnsack jumped in the passenger side and yelled at Netters to stop, police said. They said Netters refused to stop and wrestled with Bohnsack for the officer's gun.
Netters, 31, was shot and died at the scene. Boyd was treated for broken bones in his arm and Bohnsack was not injured.
The case will be reviewed by the Police Department to ensure that policies and procedures were followed, police spokesman Ron Reier said. Results will be used in training, he said.
"It's never our intention when we go to work to shoot and kill someone," he said. "You never know when a simple traffic stop will turn into a shooting situation."
Fred Bruno, Bohnsack's attorney, said that he had been confident Bohnsack would be cleared of criminal wrongdoing. But he was relieved Thursday once the decision became official.
"He went up the entire use-of-force continuum," Bruno said. "He used verbal commands and he tried using Mace. When it became apparent that the other officer was in danger, deadly force was required."
Georgia Fivecoat, Netters' fiancee, said Thursday that she too had expected the decision. She sobbed with grief.
"It's still so hard," she said. "I think about him every day. It happened a block and a half from my home. How can I not think about it?"
The two would have been dating for one year on Wednesday and had planned on being married this summer.
"Sometimes I feel like I have to talk to him," she said. "I just don't want to forget him."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4080305.html
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Sounds like a heck of a ride!
There is no basis for criminal charges against a Minneapolis police officer in the fatal shooting of a driver who dragged another officer with a sport-utility vehicle while trying to flee police, a grand jury ruled Thursday.
Officer Mark Bohnsack and another officer stopped Eric Netters on May 7 because he was hot rodding on W. Broadway, police said. When officer James Boyd told Netters he would be arrested and reached in the door to get him out of the vehicle, Netters hit the gas pedal, catching Boyd's arm in the door and dragging him down the street.
Bohnsack jumped in the passenger side and yelled at Netters to stop, police said. They said Netters refused to stop and wrestled with Bohnsack for the officer's gun.
Netters, 31, was shot and died at the scene. Boyd was treated for broken bones in his arm and Bohnsack was not injured.
The case will be reviewed by the Police Department to ensure that policies and procedures were followed, police spokesman Ron Reier said. Results will be used in training, he said.
"It's never our intention when we go to work to shoot and kill someone," he said. "You never know when a simple traffic stop will turn into a shooting situation."
Fred Bruno, Bohnsack's attorney, said that he had been confident Bohnsack would be cleared of criminal wrongdoing. But he was relieved Thursday once the decision became official.
"He went up the entire use-of-force continuum," Bruno said. "He used verbal commands and he tried using Mace. When it became apparent that the other officer was in danger, deadly force was required."
Georgia Fivecoat, Netters' fiancee, said Thursday that she too had expected the decision. She sobbed with grief.
"It's still so hard," she said. "I think about him every day. It happened a block and a half from my home. How can I not think about it?"
The two would have been dating for one year on Wednesday and had planned on being married this summer.
"Sometimes I feel like I have to talk to him," she said. "I just don't want to forget him."
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4080305.html
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Sounds like a heck of a ride!