Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 25 august 2017

Charleston hostage situation ends as gunman shot Man hit by police
pleads not guilty
By RUSS BYNUM to resisting arrest
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A By DAKE KANG
fired dishwasher shot and Associated Press
killed a chef and held a EUCLID, Ohio (AP) — A
person hostage for about black man seen in a
three hours before he was cellphone video being
shot by police at a crowd- punched more than a doz-
ed restaurant in a tourist- en times by a white police
heavy area of downtown officer after a traffic stop
Charleston on Thursday, outside Cleveland plead-
authorities and one of the ed not guilty to resisting ar-
restaurant’s owners said. rest Thursday.
The hostage was freed Richard Hubbard III, 25,
with no injuries, Mayor entered the plea in Euclid,
John Tecklenburg said. where he was stopped
The shooting took place Aug. 12 by Officer Michael
at Virginia’s restaurant on Amiott for a suspended
the usually crowded King license. He was wearing
Street, a line of shops and a gray suit and blue-and-
nice dining that caters to white neck brace when
both tourists and residents he appeared in court with
in South Carolina’s largest friends and family.
and most historic city. Hubbard’s attorney asked
Tecklenburg quickly said a Municipal Court judge
the shooting was “the act A Charleston, S.C, police officer escorts Kathleen Dayton, left, and her mother Maria Vereen, from to dismiss the charges dur-
James Island, S.C., down King Street away from the restaurant Virginia’s after a hostage situation
of a disgruntled employee” was over in front of the restaurant Virginia’s on King in Charleston, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. ing the hearing. The judge
and not a terrorist attack A disgruntled employee shot a gun in the restaurant and a hostage situation happened after did not immediately rule so
or a hate crime in a city the shooting. Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg says the hostage situation has ended with the prosecutors could have a
where nine black church gunman being shot by police. chance to reply.
members were killed by a (AP Photo/Mic Smith) In his first public comments
white man two years ago. Peter Siegert, 73, and his on the floor and move to man who was shot and a made after his arrest, Hub-
“This was a tragic case of son Peter Siegert IV, 45, the back of the restau- number of diners out safely, bard said he did not resist
a disturbed individual, I were quoted by The Post rant. The Siegerts said they interim Charleston Police when Amiott ordered him
think, with a history of some and Courier of Charles- escaped out a back door Chief Jerome Taylor said. to “face away,” which a
mental health challenges,” ton as saying that just af- and didn’t know how many The site is a few blocks away police dashcam video ap-
Tecklenburg said at a news ter several waitresses and people were left behind. from Emanuel AME church, pears to confirm. The vid-
conference. kitchen workers walked out One of the restaurant’s where nine black members eo shows Amiott wrestling
Authorities did not release the door without saying a owners, John Aquino, told of a church were killed by Hubbard to the ground
the names of the gunman word, a man in an apron WCSC-TV that a dishwasher a white man during a June within seconds of order-
or the employee he killed. with a gun came out of who had been fired came 2015 Bible study. Dylann ing him to “face away”
They initially said they be- the kitchen and locked the back to the restaurant and Roof was sentenced to after Hubbard steps out of
lieved there were “a cou- front door. shot a chef to get revenge. death in the case. the car. “It all happened
ple” or a “small number” of “’I am the new king of The restaurant was packed It is also just several blocks so fast, it was a blur, but I
hostages. Charleston,’” the Siegerts with a lunchtime crowd from where more than 100 know I did not touch the
The shooting was reported quoted the man as saying. and the first officers to ar- cruise ships dock in Charles- officer,” Hubbard said. “He
shortly after noon Thursday. The man told diners to get rive were able to get the ton each year.q had me pinned, I couldn’t
move. The only thing I did
Detroit: was hold my hands up to
deflect the punches.”
Man exonerated after 25 years seeks millions The cellphone video
viewed more than 7 mil-
lion times on Facebook has
By ED WHITE lets taken from the victim day. “I can’t picture how a Bennett, outside a restau- sparked outrage across
Associated Press and still in police storage police officer who is sworn rant, but he insisted he had the country. It shows Amiott
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit showed they didn’t match to uphold the law and be no role. punching Hubbard more
man who served 25 years in a gun that was presented objective could go to sleep Police arrested him a few than a dozen times and
prison for murder based on as the murder weapon. at night.” days later and seized a gun hitting his head on pave-
sham evidence has filed a Prosecutors agreed to drop The lawsuit, filed Wednes- that belonged to his moth- ment several times. Some
lawsuit seeking more than the case. day in U.S. District Court, er. of the punches came after
$100 million, saying police They also said the statute names the city of Detroit He was subsequently con- it appeared that Hubbard
deliberately framed him by of limitations barred them and two retired officers victed of second-degree had spread his arms out
switching bullets to win a from investigating officers as defendants. Ricks’ two murder — and spent half of while lying on his stomach.
conviction. involved in Ricks’ arrest. daughters are also plaintiffs his life in prison. Euclid police initially said
Desmond Ricks, 51, was re- “Since the officers cannot in the case. “It’s hell,” Ricks said. “It’s not Hubbard refused to follow
leased from prison in May be put in prison, this is the The Associated Press left a a good place. It’s the most orders and resisted.
after new tests supported only way to begin to right a phone message and email abnormal environment Hubbard’s girlfriend, Yoli-
his remarkable claim: De- horrific misconduct and the Thursday seeking comment ever created on Earth.” mar Tirado, was arrested
troit police intentionally harm to our criminal justice about the lawsuit from the The case was reopened with Hubbard and pled not
pinned him with a homi- system,” Ricks’ attorney, Detroit law department. at the request of the Inno- guilty to charges of disor-
cide in 1992. Wolfgang Mueller, said. Ricks witnessed the fatal cence Clinic at University of derly conduct and resisting
An analysis of two bul- “It’s evil,” he added Thurs- shooting of a friend, Gerry Michigan law school. q arrest. q