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Video Leads Sheriff's Office to Apologize for Attack on Protesters

August 09, 2006 3:12 PM

Broward_shooting_nrThe Broward County, Florida sheriff's office has now apologized for its deputies who laughed and celebrated the shooting of unarmed protesters with rubber bullets.

"What we're trying to do today is apologize for those remarks that were made during a briefing of our people, and they were inappropriate," Major John Brooks of the sheriff's office said today.

Videos made by police photographers show officers laughing after a woman attorney, dressed in a red business suit, was shot five times with rubber bullets during a November 2003 protest of the Free Trade Summit in Miami.

The woman, Elizabeth Ritter, had arrived for a court appearance and found the Miami Dade courthouse closed for security reasons. She was carrying a hastily made sign that read "Fear Totalitarianism."

A video made by a Miami television station shows her being shot in the leg and the head.

Police videos made later show deputies laughing and cheering about "the woman in the red dress."

A sergeant is seen saying, "I don't know who got her, but it went right through the sign and hit her smack dab in the middle of the head."

The video was made public by the Miami Civilian Investigative Panel which found "demonstrators were profiled, unlawfully searched, detained and/or arrested."

August 9, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (58)

User Comments

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Sounds like we have another HOT HEADED POLICE OFFICER on our hands. Cops get so trigger happy these days...

Posted by: Joe | Aug 9, 2006 4:02:00 PM

Another example of how how cops are unevolved primates with weapons. Proper corrective action is to say "sorry". I gues thats all that crimals should have to say too. Sorry I stole you purse. Or sorry I robbed you. Or sorry I smoke marijuana. Or sorry I went over the speed limit.

Posted by: ootif | Aug 9, 2006 4:12:20 PM

personally I think that this is funny, I don't think that the police officers should get in any kind of trouble. they have to put up with idiots like that every day,crying about there "rights",that the liberals hand feed them like baby food, it's good to see them get even a little!!!!

Posted by: Captain Conservative | Aug 9, 2006 4:17:16 PM

Nice Police State you got there !

Posted by: aaa | Aug 9, 2006 4:49:57 PM

I am not surprised. Law Enforcement in this country is totally out of control but then what do you expect when you hire directly from the military where violence of action is drilled into you? Our government gives them a blank check and their own departments and mentality is to turn a blind eye to abuses.

Internal Affairs is a joke.

Apology not accepted and as usual I imagine the police unions are forming the blue wall to deflect criticism. Much like they did for LEOs in Chigaco who got charges thrown out because of statutes of limitation. Funny Murderers, rapists, and robbers dont seem to get that treatment.

Law Enforcement, whether it be state or federal should not be shielded from prosecution. In this case, rubber bullets or not, an unarmed woman was shot, then further victimized by mockery.

Posted by: Herr Adler | Aug 9, 2006 4:57:36 PM

There should be prison sentences for this type of abuse.

Posted by: Duane | Aug 9, 2006 4:59:37 PM

Let's send shooter to Iraq and then let the lady in the red dress laugh back at him. He hee

Posted by: john | Aug 9, 2006 5:02:59 PM

I'm not surprised by these officers actions. America truly needs serious police reform. In Florida children as young as 5 or 6 or tased with tasers. Puny young teens are beaten to death at state run bootcamps. That's some really crazy and callous stuff police are stooping to these days. It's getting more difficult to tell the guys from the bad. There appear to be some type of marriage going on between the two sides.

Posted by: no suprised | Aug 9, 2006 5:32:06 PM

Shouldn't have happened. Whether you agree with her or not, it was not right for the police to shoot and, on top of that, laugh about it. It goes to the top, a serious lack of leadership to allow that to happen. Liberal or conservative, she didn't deserve that.

Posted by: Steven | Aug 9, 2006 5:37:11 PM

Shame on the cops!

Posted by: Leo | Aug 9, 2006 6:08:32 PM

It's easy for everyone to blame the police but when someone is in trouble who goes in. Police officers see things that if anyone else sees they would need to see a shrink. I have seen the things they see and it's not pretty. So if they need to crack jokes to vent then let them do it. I would rather have them crack jokes than have them break down when we need them the most. Shame on all of you who hates cops. You dont know what you have until you need them.

Posted by: joe | Aug 9, 2006 6:20:33 PM

Rubber bullets, issued police as part of riot gear, are meant only as a defensive weapon and most assuredly not to shoot protesters who are not attacking them. It would seem this woman's sign has a lot of merit. Is Florida turning into a police state? What does this department do when they face not so friendly protesters?

And NO I am not the Mayor. There would be a lot more done than an apology if I were.

Posted by: John Brooks | Aug 9, 2006 6:35:39 PM

Until you folks learn how to raise your kids, rebel against the thug culture, and start calling a spade a spade stuff like this will happen. Act like you should and rubber bullets wont hit you in the head. I bet you folks are the first ones to criticize, yet the first ones to call the police to tell the neighbors to quiet down, 'cause your too damn scared to do it yourselves. Get a life.

Posted by: supercop | Aug 9, 2006 6:43:55 PM

yet again....the police get away with criminal activities just because they are the police. finding no criminal action is even worse...is it just because they were rubber bullets??? if your shot your shot...whether its a rubber bullet or not, she still got shot, and shooting her in the head is even worse. A great cartoon line applies here: "only a big fat rat would shoot a guy in the back." after half an hour of peaceful protest they shoot her in the back? its reprehensible enough to do that, but then to laugh about it the next morning?!?!?! i hope all the cops on that tape get fired, because they dont deserve to call themselves public servants if thats what they do on time paid for by us taxpayers!

Posted by: George | Aug 9, 2006 6:55:05 PM

Those police officers are cowards and thugs, nothing more. Everyone one of them. A decent person would have stopped that, and an officer who respected his duty to all people would have spoken up.

As I said, a bunch of cowards in police officer's clothes…what an embarrassment

Posted by: Aram | Aug 9, 2006 6:55:19 PM

The police conduct is reprehensible. The cops involved should be fired immediately. If I'm Ritter, I file a civil suit, asap.

Posted by: John Lemr | Aug 9, 2006 6:57:22 PM

Whoever condemns the cops is rushing to judgement. We don't know the circumstance of the shooting, and can't possibly know if it was merited or not. That the cops laughed about it is perfectly fine. Or do we not believe in free speech anymore?

Posted by: Mike Call | Aug 9, 2006 7:02:29 PM

Your story about the attorney/protestor wounded by Miami Police by rubber bullets
MAKES ME DEEPLY ASHAMED TO BE AN AMERICAN.

This story deserves more air time. We must make it clear that this is UNAMERICAN ACTIVITY.

Posted by: Donna Hutchinson | Aug 9, 2006 7:05:12 PM

There is no excuse for this kind of behavior out of our peace officers. Why exactly are we sending our soldiers all over the world. The last I checked it was for the right to freedom. Freedom of speach, Freedom to protest. It is my opinion there were not only patrol officers out of line there supervisors were as well. Don't you think there comes a time when we should all have to behave like a professional even if we don't feel like it. If we make excuses then were no better or worse off than the countries our soldiers are fighting and dying for. This police department should be ashamed of thereselves. There supervisiors should revisit why they are in the positions they are in and grow the heck up. Our children still have current events in school. This should be a good topic for them to talk about.

Posted by: L Martin | Aug 9, 2006 7:13:17 PM

I AM OUT RAGED AT WHAT HAPPENED AND THE LACK OF ACTION TAKEN AGAINST THE OFFICERS. NOT ONLY DID THEY ATTACK A WOMEN WITHOUT CAUSE BUT TOOK ALOT OF ENJOYMENT IN THIS ACTION. PLEASE LET VIEWERS KNOW WHAT LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT THAT WE CAN COMPLAIN TO IF WE DO NOT LIVE IN FLORIDA

Posted by: t ferguson | Aug 9, 2006 7:27:00 PM

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