Heres what happened prior to this video: Published on Jan 9, 2015 Fatal Billings police shooting captured on video, shown to inquest jury BILLINGS - A Billings police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man in a traffic stop last April had his case heard by a jury on Tuesday who will decide if his use of force was justified. On April 14, 2014, Billings Police Officer Grant Morrison performed a late night traffic stop which ended with him shooting and killing Richard Ramirez. In day one of the two-day coroners inquest, a jury of two women and five men listened to several witnesses testimonies, listened to 9-11 calls, and watched dashboard camera recordings. Senior Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney Ed Zink led most of the questioning and began the inquest with a statement to the jurors with some perspective into the work of a police officer. An officer never knows who he might find and what he might encounter, said Zink. On that April night, Morrison encountered Ramirez, but the events that led up to the shooting actually began the night before. Police responded to a call on April 13 that a man had been robbed and shot on the Billings South Side. When officers arrived, they found Michael Chavez with a gunshot wound in his arm. Chavez told police he had been robbed and said Richard Ramirez was responsible. When Chavez was asked about what was stolen and how the incident occurred, Chavez reportedly said, Youre police, youre supposed to help me. Two officers testified that Chavez was uncooperative about the details. After Chavez was transported to the hospital, officers noticed a trio of small black bags on the floor of the apartment that they had not noticed when they first arrived. The bags were filled with syringes and methamphetamine. An officer on patrol at the hospital said hospital staff found syringes in Chavezs sock and a large amount of cash on him. Investigators determined that it was drug deal gone wrong. Ramirez became the prime suspect in the shooting incident and police began to search for him. Morrison and fellow officer Tony Jensen went to the Ramirez residence where the suspect lived with his parents. Ramirezs mother and father told police they did not know where their son was. Later that night, officer Jensen pulled over a mini van for fictitious plates. When the vehicle stopped, the sliding passenger door slid open and two men jumped out and ran, the officer said. Jensen didnt chase the men but questioned the driver Tommy Black who initially said he didnt know the names of the two men. Black later admitted one of the men was Ramirez. The next evening, Jensen said he was patrolling Beat 5, the section of neighborhood where the Ramirez home was located. Jensen said he had a particular interest in that area because of the notoriety of the Ramirez home. In a 14 month period, detectives said police were dispatched to the home on 62 different calls. While he was patrolling the area that evening, he heard a radio call from Morrison stating he needed back up and that he may have Ramirez in the vehicle stop. Jensen testified he could hear shouting in the night sky coming from the direction he knew Morrison was in. Dashboard camera video played for the jury showed Morrison approach the vehicle with his gun drawn. Morrison shouted hands up! several times at the occupants of the vehicle. Hands up, hands up! he continued to shout. The video then shows the officer fire three rounds into the vehicle, striking Ramirez. The Ramirez family, who filled two aisles in the court room, cried and moaned at the graphic nature of the footage and many even left the room. The video showed backup arrive on scene moments later. The next video shown to jurors is that of Morrison collapsing from shock, hyperventilating and sobbing. Officer Brad Ross testified that he arrived at the scene to serve as emotional support. Ross described to jurors what it meant the officer-involved shooting meant to him. It means the worst possible thing that could happen.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 00:58:56 +0000