Monday, December 31, 2007

News Conference for Baudilio Lemus-Rodriguez

From Wane TV:

Family Speaks Out About Police Action Shooting

Updated: Dec 31, 2007 03:12 PM EST




(Fort Wayne - WANE) The family of a man shot and killed by a rookie Fort Wayne police officer says it wants justice. It says the police department used excessive force when it shot his unarmed son.
In a news conference Monday, the father of the shooting victim, Baudilio Lemus-Rodriguez spoke to reporters about the incident. He says he wants the officer shot his son, Officer James Arnold, to not only be off the police force, but behind bars for killing his 24-year old son, Jose Lemos-Rodriguez.

Police shot and killed him after he led them on a chase last Sunday. Spokesmen for the hispanic community said the young Lemos-Rodriguez might have panicked when police pulled him over, for fear of being deported. Lemos-Rodriguez is not a legal citizen of the United States. When Lemus-Rodriguez finally came to a stop, police say he then rammed his car into patrol cars.

That's when Officer Arnold fired multiple shots, resulting in the death of Lemus-Rodriguez. Fort Wayne Police Chief Rusty York says Arnold had just completed training two months ago. Fernando Zapari, a hispanic community spokesperson, said Arnold was a veteran of the Afghanistan war.

York met with the same family members that held the news conference last Thursday. He said at the time, they had questions about how the incident would be investigated. York said he did his best to explain to them what would happen, and that the Indiana State Police would be conducting an independent investigation of the incident. York said the family seemed satisfied with the the Fort Wayne Police Department was handling the investigation.

But, Baudilio Lemus-Rodriguez says he is not. At the conference, he said he not only has questions about the investigations, but doubts about how it is being handled. Not only does he want justice for his young son, with the officer behind bars, but he said he will look for monetary compensation for his family as well. The elder Lemus-Rodriguez says his son has a 4-year old daughter, and girlfriend back in Guatemala where the family is from. Also, the young victim's mother, suffered a heart attack when she heard the news of her sons death, and is now very ill. Mr. Lemos-Rodriguez also does not know right now how he will pay to transport his sons body back to Guatemala. The family did not officially announce a lawsuit against the police department, but an attorney for the family, John Rogers says he will announce their further actions after the investigation by the Indiana State Police is finished, and the Prosecutor takes a look at it.

The family is also waiting to see video from the incident. Chief Rusty York says four cameras caught the incident on tape; two have sharp details.

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