ALLIANCE NEWS July 31, 2013 Loundoun County Attorney Justified the Sheriff’s Killing of a Filipina in the East Coast By Arturo P. Garcia Los Angeles – The ALLIANCE NEWS reported today that according to news agencies based in Virginia , the Filipino American Community in the East Coast raised a collective howl after a, Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney James E. Plowman announced Wednesday , July 31 that Loudoun County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a Filipina “acted in justifiable self-defense “ The announcement at a news conference in Leesburg followed a months-long investigation into the shooting, which had prompted an outcry from Scott’s relatives — and from members of the Filipino community, who argued that the Filipino woman had been the victim of unnecessary force. “Unnecessary Use of Force” After the announcement Wednesday, Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. said in a statement that “embassy officials were reviewing the “comprehensive and technical” report. “ The Philippine Embassy, Filipino American organizations and members of Scott’s family in the Philippines were among those questioning whether the shooting represented a disproportionate and unnecessary use of force. Scott’s mother and sister, who live in the Philippines, appeared in an interview aired on a television network in Manila soon after the killing. Speaking in Tagalog, their native language, they both wept and said they were distraught and angry over Scott’s death. More Condemnations At the same time the Alliance-Philippines based in the United States in a statement decried the shallow justification of the senseless killing. “It is another case of the Trayvon Martin and Oscar Grant incidents when a lawman or a neighborhood crime watch captain like Zimmerman is involved in killing a Asian or an African American person they let the killers go scot-free.” Ed Navarra, chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, issued a statement Wednesday in which he expressed disappointment with the outcome of the investigation. “While we understand that police officers need to use force to protect themselves, we continue to believe that when guns were fired at Mhai Scott, it was an unreasonable and excessive use of force which showed a reckless disregard for the life of an innocent woman,” the statement said. “ Mhai’s wrongful death cries out for justice and the Filipino American community will pursue every means to ensure that justice is done.” NAFFAA declared. On the other hand, Loundon County Attorney said: “The deputy’s actions constituted a justifiable homicide ... undertaken in self-defense and the defense of others,” Plowman said. ***
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 02:26:23 +0000