Thread: Ore-Irishman's family meets with district attorney-illegal

Irishman's family meets with district attorney
The family's only comments after the two-hour meeting about the Silverton shooting come from a law firmSaturday, July 12, 2008 STUART TOMLINSON and HELEN JUNGThe Oregonian Staff
SILVERTON -- The mother and other relatives of Andrew James "A.J." Hanlon, the Irishman fatally shot by a Silverton police officer June 30, met with the Marion County district attorney's staff for two hours Friday to discuss the investigation into the incident.

But the family members, their attorneys and the district attorney's staff had little to say afterward.

Meanwhile, at Oak and Mill streets in this town of 9,000 about 17 miles east of Salem, more people placed flowers and candles on the sidewalk where he died. And some began to prepare for a memorial service here today.


But answers about what happened when Officer Tony Gonzalez shot and killed Hanlon about 11 p.m. that Monday were still hard to come by.

Nathan Heise, Hanlon's brother-in-law, said after Friday's meeting that his family will not talk about what occurred. He referred all questions to the Portland law firm of O'Donnell Clark & Crew. The family did release a statement:

"We are greatly saddened by AJ's death. We hope and expect that the authorities in Silverton and Marion County will conduct their inquiry with integrity and diligence. We trust that this process will result in justice and accountability for what seems to us to be a clear case of unreasonable and excessive force.

"While we mourn our loss and await the outcome of the process, we ask for respect and privacy, and will be referring all media inquiries to our lawyers."

Hanlon's mother, Dorothea Carroll, arrived from Ireland on Thursday to collect her son's remains and details about the case. She hopes to take the body back to Dublin early next week, said Danny Hannon, her brother and Hanlon's godfather.

"This is such a terrible thing that has happened," Hannon said after putting Carroll on a plane from Los Angeles to Portland. "She wants to take her boy home."

Deputy District Attorney Matt Kemmy also declined to discuss specifics of the meeting. He said his office will prepare the case and present the evidence to a grand jury, probably within two weeks.

Hanlon, described as mentally disturbed by his family, was shot as Gonzalez responded to a reported burglary in progress. Hanlon had stayed in Silverton for about a year, according to his sister and brother-in-law, who also live here.

Before the shooting, Nathan Heise said earlier, Silverton police had been aware of Hanlon's mental struggles and had been helpful to the family.

Heise also said that Hanlon had a habit of banging on their door when he wanted to be let in. He and his wife believe that on the night Hanlon was killed, he mistakenly went to the wrong house, startling the residents and prompting the call to police.

They said he was shot several times. Attorneys for the family said Hanlon suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, arm, thigh and back.

In a news release Friday, a spokeswoman for the law firm said, "The family, as well as the Irish government, is awaiting the release of the investigative report examining the shooting, hoping that it will provide answers as to why this tragedy occurred."

Gonzalez is on administrative leave during the investigation, which is routine in officer-involved shootings.

Tuesday, the Silverton Police Officers' Association released a statement supporting Gonzalez. The e-mail from Rich Budry, the association's president, said Gonzalez did nothing wrong.

"The Silverton Police Officers' Association has heard and read a lot of misinformation in the media regarding the recent officer-involved shooting in our city," Budry wrote. "It has been difficult to listen to these comments when we know that all of the actions by Officer Gonzalez were justified. . . . We strongly believe the District Attorney's Office and Grand Jury investigation will prove the use of force was justified under the statute."

The district attorney's office quickly responded to the e-mail, saying it was "extremely disappointed" that the police association had spoken out during the inquiry.

"The Association's comments and conclusions are inappropriate at this time," Kemmy wrote. "Such conclusions could mislead the public into believing that the Silverton Police Department is in some way involved in the investigation, and therefore, undermine the public's faith in the process."

Stuart Tomlinson: 503-221-8313; stuarttomlinson@news.oregonian.com Helen Jung: 503-294-7621; helenjung@news.oregonian.com

Hanlon, described as mentally disturbed by his family, was shot as Gonzalez responded to a reported burglary in progress. Hanlon had stayed in Silverton for about a year, according to his sister and brother-in-law, who also live here.

Before the shooting, Nathan Heise said earlier, Silverton police had been aware of Hanlon's mental struggles and had been helpful to the family.

GONZALEZ is in a heap of major trouble here. The man was KNOWN to the PD, he was not a stranger. If I were the family I would be screaming HATE CRIME!

Miguelina said:




"GONZALEZ is in a heap of major trouble here. The man was KNOWN to the PD, he was not a stranger. If I were the family I would be screaming HATE CRIME"!


What makes you think Gonzalez knew Hanlon ?

Originally Posted by FedUpinFarmersBranch

Miguelina said:




"GONZALEZ is in a heap of major trouble here. The man was KNOWN to the PD, he was not a stranger. If I were the family I would be screaming HATE CRIME"!


What makes you think Gonzalez knew Hanlon ?

The article states that the PD was aware of Hanlon's mental illness and had been helpful to his family. Gonzalez is a member of the PD.

I have an autistic teen and have gone out of my way to make sure our local PD has met him and he has met them. We have a high number of autistic teens/adults in my area and the police departments have been trained to deal with them, which is way different than you would deal with a normal person.

I don't know what type of mental disability Hanlon had, but it sounds like it could be something in the autism spectrum.

Did Hanlon threaten the officer? Was he armed? What reason did the officer have to shoot him?

Miguelina wrote:

"GONZALEZ is in a heap of major trouble here. The man was KNOWN to the PD, he was not a stranger. If I were the family I would be screaming HATE CRIME"!

I don't get it. Just because some on the force knew the deceased does not mean Gonzalez did. Furthermore, how do we even know Gonzalez got a good look at Hanlon's face? Remember, the incident happened at 11:00 p.m.

Heise also said that Hanlon had a habit of banging on their door when he wanted to be let in. He and his wife believe that on the night Hanlon was killed, he mistakenly went to the wrong house, startling the residents and prompting the call to police.

Why didn't Hanlon have a key if he was living with Heise and his wife? Also, what Heise and his wife think happened is nothing more than speculation.

"The Silverton Police Officers' Association has heard and read a lot of misinformation in the media regarding the recent officer-involved shooting in our city," Budry wrote. "It has been difficult to listen to these comments when we know that all of the actions by Officer Gonzalez were justified. . . . We strongly believe the District Attorney's Office and Grand Jury investigation will prove the use of force was justified under the statute."

No, please tell me it's not true. The media would never twist the facts, would they?

Deleted by me (duplicate post).

Grand jury rules shooting of Irishman justified

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Story Published: Jul 24, 2008 at 7:40 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 24, 2008 at 9:24 PM PDT
By STEVEN DUBOIS Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A grand jury has cleared the Silverton police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Irish national during a confrontation last month.

Officer Tony Gonzalez fired seven shots at Andrew Hanlon, with five of them hitting the 20-year-old man described by relatives as mentally ill.

A statement from the Marion County District Attorney's Office said Gonzalez shot Hanlon while in retreat. A witness told investigators that Hanlon had been trying to strike the officer while ignoring commands to stop.

Thirteen witnesses - four police and nine civilians - testified before the grand jury, said Matthew Kemmy and Douglas Hanson, deputy district attorneys. Gonzalez did not testify in person, but a videotape of his interview with investigators was shown to the jurors, who were unanimous in their finding that the shooting was legally justified.

Hanlon came to the United States from Ireland last summer and stayed illegally after his visa expired. His sister and brother-in-law live in Silverton, a small town 45 miles south of Portland. His death June 30 attracted a flurry of attention in Ireland, where police shootings are not as common as in the U.S.

Steve Crew, a lawyer representing Hanlon's family, told The Oregonian newspaper that Thursday night's ruling was "disappointing and a bit of a surprise for the family."

Gonzalez, 35, is in jail on an unrelated matter. A woman and her daughter accused the officer of sexually abusing the girl several times, including at least once after the Hanlon shooting.

Investigators released little information about the Irishman's death before Thursday night. The deputy district attorneys, in a statement, said they would now provide many details "in an effort to combat the accusations of a conspiracy or a cover-up that have arisen."

They said the incident started when Shannon Kelley heard pounding on her front door at 11:20 p.m. and saw a man, later identified as Hanlon, acting strangely.

Kelley asked him to leave, but Hanlon demanded to enter. Hanlon, according to Kelley, said he had a sword and yelled phrases such as: "Thou shalt let met in!" Though Hanlon didn't have a sword, he gestured as if he had one.

Kelley, who phoned police, said Hanlon howled at the moon and at one point screamed that he was the "angel of death." Kelley said she and her parents visiting from Montana had to put their bodies against the door to stop Hanlon from breaking it down.

After repeatedly hurling his body against the door, Hanlon ran barefoot toward Oak Street, where he would meet Gonzalez.

Gonzalez told investigators he heard the sound of shattering glass and thought Hanlon might be armed with a broken bottle. Kemmy and Hanson noted that investigators think Hanlon merely bumped into a recycling bin.

Gonzalez said he ordered Hanlon to show his hands and get down on the ground. After repeating the command, Hanlon appeared ready to comply.

But then he leaped at the officer, kicking and screaming. Gonzalez backpedaled, but could never get more than 5 feet away and started firing.

Gonzalez's version of events was backed up by Jeff DeSantis of Silverton, who was driving along Oak Street and stopped his vehicle when he saw the patrol car.

DeSantis looked to his left and witnessed the confrontation from 35 feet away, the deputy district attorneys said.

He told investigators that Hanlon disregarded the officer's commands, and then rushed the officer with martial-arts moves after uttering what DeSantis described as a "primordial war scream."

DeSantis said Gonzalez stopped shooting when Hanlon finally slowed down and didn't fire at all when the Irishman was on the ground.

Gonzalez then grabbed his police radio to report, "Shots fired." Hanson died at the scene.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)

http://www.katu.com/news/25881609.html

He told investigators that Hanlon disregarded the officer's commands, and then rushed the officer with martial-arts moves after uttering what DeSantis described as a "primordial war scream."

Sound like he was on something, plus his mental problems, it made him dangerous and unpredictable.

It is sad he died, and much more sad that his family is without him. They need to understand that he posed a potential threat to the officer and if the officer had let him get by him and into the community and hurt someone, he was then responsible for the potential victims.

I feel bad the family refuses to see this. Yet, this is the way it always is when someone is either drugged up or mentally unstable and police have to use force to subdue them for the safety of the community, many cry foul and claim "police brutallity".