May 28, 2003
'WW' and 'Mercury' Weigh In on Aftermath of Kendra James Shooting
Our local weeklies get into the Kendra James shooting, its aftermath, and this past weekend's protests. First up is today's Willamette Week, whose piece includes this charming description:
The early-morning tragedy on the North Skidmore Street I-5 overpass is laid out in investigative reports released last week. To prevent James from driving away in a Chevy Cavalier, McCollister--contrary to his training--climbed into the car and attempted to pull the 21-year-old African-American woman out. She wouldn't budge. He tried to pepper-spray her, but he hit the button wrong. He pulled at her hair. He got a wig instead.
Finally, when she threw the car into drive, he pulled his gun, placed it next to her head, and yelled, "Get out of the fucking car!"
Meanwhile, tomorrow's Portland Mercury makes an interesting claim about post-shooting policies:
The shooting has also exposed disturbing policies within the police department. McCollister and his partner were reportedly allowed to meet together after the shooting and have dinner. In an effort to prevent officers from collaborating on their stories, most cities prohibit any sort of conferencing after a shooting.
Having not been following the intricasies of this case in enough detail to know, I'm not sure where this comes from -- another media report, part of the investigation, or just random scuttlebutt. It's certainly utterly improper conduct, if true.
The Mercury article also ponies up more information (which has been around, but I somehow kept failing to find it anywhere) about the plans for June 4 and the intended trip to Salem to push for police accountability: Interested parties should meet at the Christ Memorial Church Of God In Christ, located at 1552 N Killingsworth, at 9:00 AM that morning.
Comments (1)
no one in particular on 29 May 2003
The meeting between the officers has been reported several places. They went to dinner with their wives and claim that the shooting never came up. Which seems impossible to believe, but what do I know?