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Former North Carolina sheriff’s deputy acquitted of murder
YADKINVILLE (AP) A former North Carolina sheriff’s deputy accused in the 2015 death of a Christmas tree farmer has been acquitted of a murder charge. District Attorney Gary Frank said March 21 a Yadkin County jury deliberated six hours over two days before returning a verdict in the trial of Joshua Franklin Hopkins, who was charged […]
Judge reviews request to make police shooting records public
LILLINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina judge will review more than 300 pages of documents before deciding whether the public can see the results of a state investigation into the shooting of a man who refused a warrantless search of his home. Superior Court Judge Gale Adams was asked Tuesday to block a different […]
Tort/Negligence – Public Official Immunity – Police Shooting – Fact Issues – Sovereign Immunity – Insurance – No Waiver
Hart v. Brienza (Lawyers Weekly No. 011-107-16, 18 pp.) (John Tyson, J.) Appealed from Gaston County Superior Court (Eric Levinson, J.) N.C. App. Holding: There are genuine issues of fact concerning whether plaintiff was complying with police officers’ commands to “freeze” and “get on the ground” or whether he was reaching for his shotgun, thereby […]
Funeral set for North Carolina man killed in police shooting
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A police chief’s report that a black man drew a gun before he was fatally shot by an officer caught mourners off-guard as they prepared to lay him to rest Friday. The funeral for Akiel Denkins, 24, was scheduled less than a day after the preliminary report was issued saying Denkins […]
Justices: Prosecutor can stay on police shooting case
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court rejected a request to remove the prosecutor investigating the police shooting of a 19-year-old man during a drug sting in Seneca made by the teen’s family. Lawyers for Zachary Hammond’s parents wanted Solicitor Chrissy Adams taken off the case because she works closely with Seneca police and […]
Columbia lawyer: Media too focused on race in police shootings
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of high-profile media interviews for Columbia lawyer Eric Bland, who is doing a masterful job of drumming up press coverage for the family of a teen who was killed during an encounter with police. Initially, the death of 19-year-old Zachary Hammond barely made a ripple in the […]
Black motorist’s fatal shooting: Outcry over police tactics
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — As North Charleston surged in population last decade, South Carolina’s third-largest city fought rising crime through a simple policing solution: Be aggressive. But the city’s Police Department lost the respect of many black residents in neighborhoods they blitzed, and now many are upset after the fatal shooting of an unarmed […]
Officer who shot man had prior excessive force complaint
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The white South Carolina police officer charged with murder for shooting an unarmed black man in the back was allowed to stay on the force despite a 2013 complaint that he used excessive force against another unarmed black man. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Mario Givens recounted […]
White SC officer charged with murder in black man’s death
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Dramatic video that shows a white South Carolina police officer shooting a fleeing black man after a traffic stop has led authorities to file a murder charge against the officer amid public outrage over a series of deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement agents. Protests […]
Civil Rights — Excessive Force – Police Shooting – Emotionally Disturbed Man – Knife
Conner v. Wake County (Lawyers Weekly No. 15-02-0281, 20 pp.) (Malcolm Howard, S.J.) 5:12-cv-00701; E.D.N.C. Holding: The defendant-deputy responded to a call regarding an emotionally disturbed man, Adam Carter, who needed to be transported to a mental health facility. In the light most favorable to plaintiff, the deputy was standing in an open doorway when […]
Woman shot to death by Gastonia police
GASTONIA (AP) — A Gastonia woman has been shot and killed by a police officer who responded to a reported domestic dispute. Police told local media outlets that officers responded to a domestic disturbance call shortly before noon Tuesday. Betty Diane Sexton, 43, was shot and died at CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia. The […]
Video of New Jersey man shot by police raises questions
BRIDGETON, N.J. (AP) — A video of police officers confronting and then fatally shooting a black man at a traffic stop has raised questions and stirred anger over another death at the hands of police. On Thursday, the Rev. Al Sharpton’s civil rights organization got involved. The National Action Network released a statement saying it […]
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Commentary
- Amotion sees resurgence after almost a decade
- The flip side of generative AI in law and how to address it
- The fight for equal educational opportunity continues
- Court’s term was rough on big business
- Ex-president, bar association have made their choice
- Ruling sharpens boundaries in attorney-client privilege
- Lawyers Weekly debuts new and improved web experience
- US Supreme Court bites back at parody’s use of the First Amendment
- Supreme Court leaves key internet protection untouched
- Case study: North Carolina courts provide guidance on scope, limitations of attorney-client privilege
- A Different Ode to Pro Bono Work
- A roadmap to attracting, developing, retaining great associates
