Posted on 10/14/2005 4:38:05 AM PDT by abb
One of the three New Orleans police officers suspended and charged in connection with the videotaped beating of a retired teacher in the French Quarter received psychiatric treatment after an apparent suicide attempt in the mid-1990s, but was hired as a cop about a year later when he passed the department's psychological tests, according to his attorney and three people who worked with the officer before he joined the force.
Lance Schilling, charged with simple battery along with fellow 8th District officers Robert Evangelist and Stewart Smith, was treated after he fell ill from self-inflicted carbon monoxide inhalation, according to three people he worked with at the Rendon Inn, a Broadmoor restaurant and bar.
Steve Daney, a former cook who described Schilling as "a good, good friend," said Schilling had bouts of depression, but he had never known him to be violent or even discourteous. As for the apparent suicide attempt, Daney said, "He was young. He was 18 or 19 years old. We all go through those kind of issues when we're young and we think the world is falling apart."
Joseph Bruno, attorney for beating victim Robert Davis, said he forwarded information about Schilling's psychiatric history to the FBI, which is helping in the police investigation and a parallel civil rights investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. He said that despite the length of time since the 1990s incident involving Schilling, the background is relevant.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
HANNITY: I am always concerned, always when only a portion or snippet of video is used in a police case like this, because I don't think it always tells the whole story. With that said, I look at this, and the over the head punch after punch after punch and the guy trying to seemingly hide from the camera, it looks pretty damning.
Interesting theory you have there - that my sage advice to unwary visitors actually caused the corruption in the NOPD.
So if I told those same visitors not to wander into Armstrong Park at 2 AM becasue they might be robbed, would I actually be causing the criminality?
Perhaps I misunderstood you, or you me. My point was that the NOPD's rep for brutality is widely known and well-deserved.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.