Racial tensions high following verdict

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Racial tensions high following verdict
Updated: Tuesday, 08 Dec 2009, 11:07 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 08 Dec 2009, 2:19 PM EST

Hartford (WTNH) - A SWAT team was called to Hartford Superior Court when racial tensions ran high following the acquittal of a white police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.

Robert Lawlor, who is now retired from the Hartford Police Department, was found not guilty on a manslaughter charge in the death of 18-year old Jayshon Bryant.

Lawlor was working with a federal agent on an anti-gun task force back in 2005 when the shooting happened. He told authorities that Bryant had a gun and he was forced to shoot at his car when it sped toward federal agent Daniel Prather, but no weapon was found.

Mayor Eddie Perez is urging residents to remain calm.

"We are closing a difficult chapter for our City. Families have been devastated but we must come together today as one city, one Hartford. We need to remain calm and be supportive of our young people, our families, and of those who are sworn to serve and protect. Right now there needs to be one voice for Hartford and that is one of peace," Perez said in a written statement.

Bryant's mother, Cynthia Bryant, collapsed with grief as she spoke to reporters outside court.

"He just got away with killing my son - again! He killed him two times," she cried.

Bryant's father, Keith Thomas, was enraged.

"For a man that a put a bullet in the back of my son's head, what does that tell me? That I'm a target for the next policeman because I'm black and they got away with it," he yelled.

Thomas then confronted Lawlor.

"You got away with murder, right," Thomas said.
"And that is your opinion," Lawlor responded.
"There's no next time, there's no next time," Thomas said.

Bryant's sister, Shirin Bryant, also confronted the former police officer.

"You've been arrogant, you've been confident of yourself. Tomorrow's my brother's birthday and I don't get to say 'happy birthday.' You get to go home to your family," she said.

Lawlor maintains that he did nothing wrong and did not apologize.

"Being sorry, to me, my own personal belief, would be admitting some type of wrongdoing. I did nothing wrong. What I did do is possibly the worst decision a police officer or a human being ever has to make and that is taking a human life," he said.
 
Topspin said:
I think the cop shooting an un armed man in a vehicle is very ghestapo like. Some folks don't mind killing a black man no matter what he is doing.

Peace
Click to expand...

he was forced to shoot at his car when it sped toward federal agent Daniel Prather...?

Not only is it justice that he was acquitted, he should be given a medal too...:good4u::hand:
 
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday in the trial of former Hartford police detective Robert Lawlor, who is accused of shooting and killing a teen in 2005.

The veteran officer is charged with manslaughter and assault in the death of Jayshon Bryant, 18, during an alleged confrontation.

Lawlor was working with an agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when he said he saw Bryant get into a friend's car with a gun, the Hartford Courant reports, citing court papers. The officers approached the car, and when the vehicle began moving, Lawlor fired five shots.

Bryant was killed. The driver, Brandon Henry, was shot once in the chest, according to news reports at the time. Right after the shooting, Lawlor's lawyer said his client used "reasonable and necessary force."

Lawlor claims he saw Bryant reach for what he thought was a gun, but no weapon was ever found in Bryant's car.

Bryant's grandmother, Betty Bryant, of Hartford, told the Courant that her family is relieved that the trial is starting.

"We feel like we've been waiting a long time for this," she said.

Once a jury is seated, the trial is expected to last four to six weeks.
 
Driver testimony in trial of Robert Lawlor By Rebecca Stewart

On the third floor of Hartford Superior Court, now 26-year-old Brandon Henry testified in the trial of police officer Robert Lawlor, about the night his friend Jayshon Bryant was shot and killed.

Brandon Henry was the driver of the 2001 Nissan Maxima, and he was also shot the night of may 7th, 2005."I could never forget," Henry said, "never forget what happened that day."

Four and a half years later, he relived that day for the jury.

"They said, freeze-- put your hands up, don't move. So I did." "I said, there's no drugs, no guns, nothing in the car."

Now, Henry admits he did have crack cocaine in the car, because he was selling drugs that day, but maintains there was never any gun.

Fear, the state argues, was the reason he tried to drive away and run from police-- even through they had their guns drawn.

"I put my hands back up, then saw the cop turn his cellphone on, and one of them turned his head. I saw it as a chance to flee. Then I heard pop, pop, pop."

Those were the gunshots that struck him, and killed Jashon Bryant in the passenger seat.

The state tried to paint Brandon Henry as a victim, someone who was scared of police... who wasn't being rational because he was in pain after being shot.

The defense painted a very different picture, pointing out Brandon Henry is now in jail on several charges including a firearms charge. Henry admitted he was-- the day of the shooting-- dealing drugs.

"Do drug dealers carry guns?" Michael Georgetti asked Henry on cross examination. "Na," Henry said, "that's only in the movies."

A few moments later he clarified himself admitting, "sometimes drug dealers do carry drugs."
 
open season on low level drug dealers, try to run from a probation offense and the Ghestapo will murder you.
 
Topspin said:
I think the cop shooting an un armed man in a vehicle is very ghestapo like. Some folks don't mind killing a black man no matter what he is doing.

Peace
Click to expand...
Your statement was that the ghestapo protected itself. If such were the case a gun would have been "found" to make it all cut and dry, no trial.

Instead there was a trial where a jury of people who were not "ghestapo" said there wasn't enough evidence to convict him....

Methinks you are "after" the wrong thing here.
 
Damocles said:
Your statement was that the ghestapo protected itself. If such were the case a gun would have been "found" to make it all cut and dry, no trial.

Instead there was a trial where a jury of people who were not "ghestapo" said there wasn't enough evidence to convict him....

Methinks you are "after" the wrong thing here.
Click to expand...

Damo, you and I both know that all a cop needs to do is claim 'in fear for my life', and they get a pass.
 
it says in the original story that the car was speeding towards the officer. This is just another case of dumb proles being dumb and then going "whoopsies we were retarded"
 
the only living witness to live stated they were trying to flee, cops shot into the car.
They would have gotten probation, this shit happens all the time. Way to many cops think they are Clint Eastwood all shooting up the place. Cops always get off with these MURDERS.
 
i thought that all the cop cars has CCTV now adays? If the car was heading towards the cop its attempted manslaughter with a moving weapon.. justified. If it was moving away from the cop then it was an unjustified shooting.
 
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