Cincinnati officer indicted in shooting that sparked unrest

May 7, 2001
Web posted at: 10:02 p.m. EDT (0202 GMT)

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- A grand jury in Cincinnati on Monday indicted a city police officer on misdemeanor charges in the killing of an unarmed black man that sparked four days of unrest in April.

Officer Stephen Roach was charged with negligent homicide and obstructing official business for the April 7 shooting of 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Allen said.

The shooting sparked violent protests and vandalism that prompted officials to impose a citywide curfew and a state of emergency.

Both the charges filed against Roach are punishable by a total maximum of 9 months in jail. Allen did not disclose details of the charges, citing grand jury secrecy rules, but urged community leaders to help keep calm in the city following news of the indictments.

VIDEO CNN's Bob Franken reports on the aftermath of the grand jury indictment of a Cincinnati police officer in the shooting death of a young black man Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) In a news conference, Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Allen announces the indictment (May 7) (part 1) | (part 2) (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Allen announces the indictment of Cincinnati Police Office Steven Roach Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   RESOURCES State of Ohio v. Roach (Request for Issuance of Arrest Warrant & Indictment) (Findlaw) (PDF) Documents in PDF format require Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ for viewing.     RESOURCE Chronology of Cincinnati unrest

"The only thing I can say and I can implore to everyone in our community, is to look at the case, look at the facts when it comes to trial. And I will say, that I think the grand jury made the right call in this case," Allen said.

Thomas' mother, Angela Leisure, described her feelings in the wake of the indictment as "borderline rage."

"It was a slap on the wrist," she said. "I don't feel like justice was served. I feel like that was not severe enough for the severity of what he did. He took a life."

Thomas was wanted on 14 misdemeanor counts, mostly traffic violations, when he was shot and killed as he fled police in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

"Some people aren't going to like the fact that the officer got indicted at all," Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken said. "Some are going to think it's not enough. I think all we can do is trust the grand jury process, respect the law and hopefully have calm tonight."

In the hours leading up to the Monday evening announcement, the city braced for the possibility of more violence, but the city's streets remained mostly calm. About 100 protesters gathered at police headquarters for a march, and the crowd remained peaceful.

Thomas was the 15th black crime suspect killed by Cincinnati police since 1995. Several of the men were armed, but three, including Thomas, were not.

Allen said Thomas ignored orders to stop from several officers. Witnesses told police Thomas was wearing oversized pants and had his hands at his waist as he ran, he said.

Allen said the grand jury considered a variety of charges, including aggravated murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, and reckless homicide. In the end, they opted for the least serious charge, which accuses Roach, 27, of displaying a "substantial lapse of due care" in the incident.

Allen said Roach gave differing statements to investigators during the course of the investigation, prompting the charge of obstructing official business.

The grand jury heard from more than 20 witnesses, including Thomas' mother, other police officers on the scene and civilian witnesses, Allen said. They examined photos of the scene, radio traffic from the night of the shooting and taped statements from Roach.

Before Monday's announcement, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that he has authorized an investigation into whether the city's police department has shown a pattern of discrimination against minority suspects, as critics have charged.

Michael Allen

Justice officials told CNN that the point of the probe is not to prosecute but to correct any problems, and that the department will offer Cincinnati authorities technical assistance during the investigation.

In addition, the FBI is continuing to monitor the local investigation into Thomas' shooting, as well as the police shooting of a young woman with a "bean bag" ammunition after Thomas' funeral. Federal authorities also are investigating reports of racially motivated violence by people involved in the post-shooting disturbances.

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April 17, 2001
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April 16, 2001
Easter calm in Cincinnati
April 15, 2001
Cincinnati mayor pledges to 'embrace justice'
April 14, 2001
Cincinnati under curfew on eve of funeral for man slain by police
April 13, 2001
FBI looking into Cincinnati police shooting
April 12, 2001
Cincinnati mayor declares state of emergency
April 11, 2001
Protesters loot, set fires in Cincinnati
April 10, 2001

Cincinnati Police Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

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