Tuesday, February 01, 2000
Officer who shot driver questioned
Probe by citizens 'in our last phase'
BY PERRY BROTHERS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati's Citizens Police Review Panel interviewed the Cincinnati officer who fired the fatal shots at an unarmed motorist during a Northside traffic stop last year.
The interview was conducted behind closed doors, which is allowed by city law when city employees appear before the panel. No details about the panel's interview of Officer Brent McCurley were released.
The interview was part of the seven-member panel's review of the police shooting of Michael Carpenter. The death of the 30-year-old African-American man sparked protests at City Hall by black activists, a continuing investigation by the FBI and a pending federal lawsuit filed by the Carpenter family.
“We're at the stage now in our last phase of the Carpenter case,” said Keith Borders, chairman of the panel.
The panel plans a meeting for public comment on the case, possibly as early as Feb. 7.
The case began on March 19 just after 1 a.m., according to police records.
Officer McCurley, a four-year veteran, and his rookie partner, Officer Michael B. Miller II, noticed Mr. Carpenter acting suspiciously in a Circle K store on Kirby Road. The officers followed him and tried to pull him over for an expired temporary license tag.
Officer Miller was dragged when he tried to pull Mr. Carpenter from the car. Officer McCurley told police the car lurched backward toward him and he fired to protect himself and his partner.
Officer Miller pulled free and thought Mr. Carpenter was shooting, so he fired one shot. It missed.
Although the shooting was ruled justified by Cincinnati police and the Hamilton County prosecutor, in early December Officer McCurley received a written reprimand and 40 hours of remedial training for the tactical mistakes he made leading up to the shooting. Officer Miller resigned in June.
The panel's next public meeting is 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at City Hall. For information, call 352-2499.
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