Thursday, May 3, 2012

Cops in White Plains won't be charged with shooting death of Kenneth Chamberlin Sr.


If you remember a few weeks ago, we reported the shooting death of Kenneth Chamberlin Sr. was being investigated. Well, it seems as if the investigation is over. Hip Hop Wired reports:

The police officers who killed a 68-year-old veteran will not face charges for his death.  Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was shot in his White Plains, N.Y. apartment last November, after authorities stormed the unit.

According to his family, Chamberlain was startled by the intrusion, and grabbed a knife for protection. They urged the District Attorney's office to take a further look into the case. However police pinned Chamberlain as the aggressor despite surveillance and audio footage from the scene showing them using racial epithets. 
The case has drawn comparisons to the murder of Trayvon Martin, which Chamberlain family lawyer Randolph McLaughlin referenced in response to the news. “I guess it's easier to indict a vigilante in Florida than to get a cop indicted in this county.  That's an outrage!”

The grand jury's decision not to go forward with an indictment marks the second time in three years that a similar outcome has occurred.  “We did everything we could and should do to put before that grand jury every piece of relevant and admissible evidence,” said Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

Given the racial overtones of the case, White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach said that authorities have vowed to complete an internal investigation, and will make copies of police investigation material, and video and audio recordings made available to the media.

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