Officer Lindsay's Death

[froggy]

swimmy said:

Maybe I'm thinking of a different case, but didn't Molina admitt to a vendetta against Lindsey?

This is where on board police cameras would have solved this issue. It's disgusting that it took an officer's life before the city moved on the idea to equip the patrol cars with on-board cameras, a concept that's been around for a decade at least!

It all depends on where he was standing when he was shot. If he was next to his patrol car, the camera is usually facing foward, so it would have captured nothing of the crime. Also, if he were sitting in the patrol car it wouldn't have done any good.

[Swimmy]

But in this instance, he was shot from behind while talking to Rivera, no?

I think I'm mixing up my facts.

[froggy]

I am unsure. Up until some of the facts have come out during trial, I was always under the impression that he was sitting in his cruiser when he was killed, but we know that is not the case as he was found lying in the street. Not sure as to what proximety he was to either car or if he would have been in proximety of a camera had there been one. Looks to me like a cowardly act, coming up behind and shooting.

[Swimmy]

No doubt it was an act of a coward.

[frankcor]

It sounds like he was standing in the street next to the driver's door on the Neon and the shooter came from behind and to the right. After being shot, he fell to his knees and his head ended up resting against the door of the car. Rivera drove away, causing him to fall to the street, leaving a streak down the side of the car.

The report was a bit confusing when it came to Rivera's testimony that Lindsey let him get out of the car to adjust the baby's car seat. At this point, I'm not certain if Rivera was in the car or out of it when Lindsey was shot. That's got to be a critical fact.

[Ralph]

If you go back over the testimony Frank I think you'll find he was in the car when Tom was shot. He made the statement that after he heard the shots he looked up to see him there with the gun in his face and then he drove away.

[frankcor]

Thanks, Ralph. I do remember that now.

Then if Lindsey were standing at the drivers' door talking to Rivera, the shooter would have been approaching from behind and to the left of Rivera. Evidently he turned to look over his left shoulder, saw the gun and drove away.

[concerned]

I laughed at the statement of Sammy when he said he was driving around that night buying and selling drugs.
Diaz's testimony plants a seed of doubt in my mind. She said when Rivera came running up to her right after the murder, he shouted "Somebody shot a cop." I thought Rivera got into his car and drove to a church on John St where his girlfriend was?

[thelma]

He did! He drove off after the killing of Officer Lindsay and went directly to St. John's Church where his girlfriend and her mother were attending church. If you will remember, this is where the Police originally arrested him as they were on the look out for the red Neon car he was driving - and they found it at the Church.

[thelma]

Here is the link to the happenings in Court today written by WKTV which I believe go into more detail than what the OD does.

www.wktv.com/blogs/featured/16420966.html

[wcup102]

According to Rivera's testimony and evidence produced by recontructionists, Tom was standing by the driver door talking to Rivera and preparing to follow him to the church as Rivera did not have a license. Rivera had given Tom his brothers' name which came back from a record check as being wanted on an open container warrant. According to Rivera, Tom was telling him to get the minor warrant cleared up and he was not arresting him that night as he had no one to come get the small child in the back seat. He was preparing to follow Rivera to the church where Rivera could get his girlfriend to drive the car. Tom was shot next to the car and fell against the car. Rivera stated he saw the shooter after Tom was shot, got scared because he knew him and was pointing the gun at him, and drove off. Rivera and his girlfriend were standing in the street when a UPD unit went by and spotted the car which had been already given out as a "be on the lookout for". UPD then took the pair into custody.

[frankcor]

Does Rivera's claim that he was beaten by UPD during his 3-day interrogation sound believable to anyone?

[Ralph]

Nawwwwwwwww..........

I do not recall any event of that sort being spoken of.

Must have fallen down a lot.

[frankcor]

That's what I figured. Clumsy fellow.

[Ralph]

I imagine that after the trial there will be a lot of that infliction going around.

I'm told it can be contagious.