St. Louis Judge Finds Former Police Officer Jason Stockley Not Guilty

Anthony Lamar Smith

On July 31, 2017, we began following the trial of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley, for killing Anthony Lamar Smith.  You can read it at this link. The media provided bits and pieces of what happened at trial because the judge did not allow any cameras nor electronic devices in the courtroom.

This case was controversial for several reasons, but the main reason was because Stockley appeared to have planted a gun in Smith’s car.  Stockley’s DNA was found on the gun, but not Smith’s DNA.

Stockley opted for a bench trial.  Only the judge decides.  There is no jury.  Trial ended on August 9, 2017.  Judge Timothy J. Wilson stated that he would not have a decision entered until after August 18, 2017.   The month of August came and went, and there was no decision.  Then came reports that St. Louis was preparing to keep the peace because of potential protests and violence if the judge acquitted Stockley.   That was the first indication what the judge’s decision would be.

Judge Timothy J. Wilson

This morning, Judge Wilson entered a 30 page decision that you can read at this link.  He entered a ruling of not guilty of first degree murder and not guilty of armed criminal action, saying that the state failed to meet its burden of proof.   The judge’s decision sounds as if he would have decided guilty for involuntary manslaughter had the state sought those charges.

This is the decision of the court.  The United States does not allow prosecutors to appeal unfavorable decisions.  They get one chance only.

Oddly enough, had Anthony Lamar Smith been a defendant and the judge found him guilty and wrote the following in his decision, Anthony might have a good basis to appeal.  It’s a statement as to whether Anthony was or wasn’t armed. Judge Wilson wrote on page 26;

“Finally, the Court observes, based on its nearly thirty years on the bench, that an urban heroin dealer not in possession of a firearm would be an anomaly.”

Trial Starts For Former St. Louis Officer Jason Stockley

Anthony Lamar Smith with his daughter

On December 20, 2011, 24-year old Anthony Lamar Smith was pulled over by St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley on suspicion of making a drug deal. Anthony took off in a rented Buick.   Against policy, Stockley shot at the fleeing car.  Dash cam video shows that Anthony slowed down.  Stockley called for another officer to “hit” the car driven by Anthony, and that officer, Brian Bianchi, did just that.

Footage from three recordings obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shows Stockley walking to Anthony’s rented Buick.  One recording was from a cell phone, and at least one other was from a store’s surveillance camera.

The impact of being hit by the police SUV resulted in the Buick’s side curtain air bags engaging, blocking part of the view from the dashboard’s camera.  Bianchi is seen reaching into the Buick with his gun still in its holster.  Stockley is seen with an AK=47, and his head is bobbing up and down as if he was lifting the curtain as well.

Stockley shot 5 times.  Officer Bianchi suddenly backed away as if he was not expecting the gunshots.

Backseat of police SUV where Jason Stockley’s personally owned AK-47 is seen on the right.

Stockley is seen taking his personal AK-47 back to his SUV and putting it into the backseat. Stockley then returned to the Buick that was driven by Anthony.  St. Louis Today reports that according to officials, Stockley was not authorized to carry the rifle, which he personally owned.

Inside dashcam recorded Stockley going into a duffle bag in the back seat, and subsequently leave the SUV with nothing in his hands.

Black St. Louis Cop Shot By White St. Louis Cop But Armed and Dangerous White St. Louis Escaped Prisoner Wasn’t Shot

Hello.  chuquestaquenumber1 here.

The 2 stories I’m bringing to you show how, in a system motivated by racism/white supremacy, race matters all the time. It matters so much that a white male criminal can be treated better by law enforcement (even though the greatest threat to law enforcement is a white male) than a black cop.

Story One

On June 21,2017 in St Louis, Missouri, police officers approached a car that had been reported stolen. Inside the car were 3 black males. The car drove off and the suspects fired on police. The car eventually crashed and the suspects ran with the police chasing them on foot.  (Source: NY Times)

An off duty Black police officer(name unknown) was home when he heard what was happening. He grabbed his service firearm and decided to help his fellow officers. When he was at the crime scene 2 of the cops ordered him down to the ground . After he was on the ground they recognized him and told him to walk toward them. At this point a White police officer (name unknown) showed up and immediately fired at the Black officer, hitting his “brother” officer in the arm.

When asked why he shot his fellow Black officer ,the white officer responded “Fear for my safety.” Rufus  J Tate a lawyer representing the wounded officer,  stated that he saw nothing in the police report that showed that the officer feared for his safety.  An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Now the website known as Blue Lives Matter, which states it is run by active and retired LEOs, covered this story. Blue Lives Matter took the position on how “the media was pushing a racist cop narrative” instead of offering sympathy or demanding justice for the wounded Black cop, and instead of asking why the White cop shot a fellow Black officer when the other cops had the situation in control?  Also out of the 25 comments on that site, only 2 offered sympathy for the wounded black cop. Obviously his Blue Life doesn’t matter. Here is the link, tell me if my assertions are incorrect.

St. Louis Detective and Prosecutor Sentenced By Federal Court

Let’s see if we can figure this out, and why it takes digging into several media sources to get all of the details.  Seriously, my research about this case took me back to July 2014, and online news sources St. Louis Today, Fox news, and the Washington Times.

On July 22, 2014, St. Louis, MO police detective Thomas A. Carroll assaulted handcuffed suspect, Michael Waller.  He didn’t report it to superiors and assisted in filing charges against Waller.

Thomas A. Carroll (photo by J.B. Forbes)

After 25 years on the job, Carroll was suspended without pay in late July 2014 amid ongoing criminal and internal investigations that is said to have involved the FBI.  Subsequently, Carroll retired.  Internal affairs charged Carroll with failure to follow an order.

Michael Waller was charged on July 23, 2014 with receiving stolen property and fraudulent use of a credit card, along with an escape charge relative to resisting arrest.  He was allegedly in possession of a stolen credit card that belonged to Carroll’s daughter.  His booking photo shows that he had a black-eye.

Two St. Louis prosecutors, Bliss Worrell and Katherine Dierdorf, were forced to leave their jobs because of their knowledge of events, and the circumstances related to charging Waller.  There was investigation that Carroll was giving prosecutors unauthorized ride-alongs that included allowing them to use his taser on suspects.  The same day that Worrell and Dierdorf left their jobs, the charges against Waller were dismissed.

Recent News On Ferguson and St. Louis

Federal Probe Into St. Louis Police Department

St. Louis CBS Local News reports that as many as 25 St. Louis City police officers are under investigation for being hired to protect drug dealers. St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson says the involved officers are no longer on active duty as the investigation continues.

The Drug Enforcement Agency, FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Circuit Attorney are all involved in the investigation that began in December. The investigation began when an off-duty police officer was shot in North St. Louis. The off-duty officer returned fire and the man he shot later turned up dead in a burning car.

In a press release by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, they state that they are unable to discuss details or findings before the investigation has concluded.

 

Ferguson Municipal Judge Resigns

A Glance At Key Police Shootings In The St. Louis Area

The Fifth Column

The Huffington Post

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The shooting death of 18-year-old Antonio Martin marks the third fatal shooting of a young black man by a white police officer in the St. Louis area since Michael Brown was killed in August.

Here’s a glance at the circumstances in each case:

___

MICHAEL BROWN

Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old, was shot and killed shortly after noon Aug. 9 following an apparent scuffle in the middle of the street with Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson at his police vehicle. Brown’s body lay there for hours as police investigated and an angry crowd of onlookers gathered. Several days of tense protests that sometimes turned violent followed in the predominantly black suburb, prompting Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to call in the National Guard. St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch decided to present the case to a grand jury rather than appoint a special prosecutor.

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Federal Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order Against Use of Tear Gas

On Thursday, Federal Judge Carol E. Jackson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, entered a temporary restraining order against defendants Chief Jon Belmar of the St. Louis County Police, Chief D. Samuel Dotson III of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Judge Jackson ordered that tear gas cannot be used to disperse legal gatherings and that the police must give clear warnings before deploying tear gas. The judge also ruled that the police must take steps to minimize the effect on those following orders and ensure that people have a “safe egress from the area.”

The matter was filed by six plaintiffs who also asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order requiring the police to wear “clearly visible personal identification” when responding to protests, and for the police to adhere to the law when deciding whether a protest constitutes illegal assembly.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 6, 2015.

Spokesman Who Attacked Rams’ Ferguson Protest Was Fired From Police Job in 2001 for Misconduct

It looks like the most recent agenda of those such as Roorda is to attack the employment of people who they don’t like.

The Fifth Column

The Rams players’ pregame protest. | CBS Screenshot

Salon

After several members of the St. Louis Rams NFL team made a “hands up” gesture of solidarity with Ferguson protesters before the team’s home game yesterday, a group called the St. Louis Police Officers Association issued a statement criticizing the players. The group’s statement quoted its business manager, Jeff Roorda:

The SLPOA is calling for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a very public apology. Roorda said he planned to speak to the NFL and the Rams to voice his organization’s displeasure tomorrow. He also plans to reach out to other police organizations in St. Louis and around the country to enlist their input on what the appropriate response from law enforcement should be. Roorda warned, “I know that there are those that will say that these players are…

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Cop Kills Teen In South St. Louis

This has been a busy day for me, and I decided to come online and check email and Twitter before going to bed.  On Twitter, I read that people were protesting in St. Louis. At first, I thought it was one of the organized protests seeking the arrest of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson cop who killed Michael Brown.

Scene of Wednesday’s fatal shooting

Turns out that Wednesday evening, the citizens of St. Louis County were subjected to another situation of a cop gone wild. Eyewitness reports and those of the cop are in conflict.  Even the cops have given two different stories.  This is developing, so I’m sure we will hear and read more in the coming days.