Former New Orleans policeman pleads guilty for conspiring to cover up the Danziger Bridge shootings
February 26th, 2010 - 1:11 am ICT by BNO NewsNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (BNO NEWS) – A former Lieutenant of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) pleaded guilty to conspiring along NOPD officers to obstruct justice regarding a police-involved shooting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, prosecutors announced on Wednesday.
Michael Loman, 41, of Terrytown, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the federal conspiracy statute by agreeing with other officers to write false reports about the shooting; to engage in misleading conduct; and to lie to agents with the FBI.
On September 4, 2005, police officers arrived to the Dazinger Bridge responding a police assistance call. Rather than helping the civilians, the officers shot at them killing 2 individuals and seriously wounding four people. When Loman got to the crime scene he noticed that the civilians didn’t have any guns with them.
Instead of arresting the responsible for the shooting, Loman conspired with the officers to cover up the truth. Loman wrote a 17-page report, planted a gun and made false statements. Furthermore he told officers to come up with a plausible story so he and other supervisors could rule that the shooting was justified. Upon questioning by FBI agents, he provided false information regarding the case.
“We rely on our law enforcement officers to protect us, particularly in times of disaster and devastation such as what followed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. What this defendant did was a shameful violation of that public trust,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
“After closely monitoring the state prosecution which ended, we embarked on an intensive effort to reconstruct the tragic events on the Danziger Bridge. Our investigation has yielded the conviction of one of a group of NOPD officers responsible for a cover-up of the true circumstances of a deadly police shooting,” said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Loman faces a possible maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. His sentence hearing is scheduled for May 26.
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