 |
 |
 November 9, 2002 Police Attend Hearing of Man Accused of Shooting Officer
The officers were angered by a decision last month by Justice Laura Blackburne of State Supreme Court to dismiss a 13-count indictment against William Hodges, who is accused of shooting a rookie police officer in 1999, and to allow Mr. Hodges to go free without bail pending a request by the Queens district attorney to reinstate the charges. Mr. Hodges, 31, was charged with attempted murder after a scuffle in a hallway in a Jamaica, Queens, apartment building left Officer David Gonzalez, then a 25-year-old rookie, with a bullet in his leg. He is still on the force, on active duty. Justice Blackburne ruled last month that Mr. Hodges had been denied a speedy trial because of numerous delays in the case. Prosecutors argued yesterday that Mr. Hodges's lawyer caused almost all the delays by continually asking for more time, and that only 38 of the 197 days' worth of delays had been at the request of the prosecution. Justice Blackburne said she would rule on the prosecution's request to reinstate the charges on Dec. 6. Police union officials have criticized Justice Blackburne for dismissing the indictment and freeing Mr. Hodges without bail, and have accused her of favoring him because she belonged to the same N.A.A.C.P. chapter as Mr. Hodges's mother, Sandra. Through a spokesman, the judge denied knowing Ms. Hodges. Members of Mr. Hodges's family sat in the front row of the courtroom and 42 police officers sat behind them. Justice Blackburne's brother, Jeff Diggs, and another relative sat next to the Hodgeses. David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the State Office of Court Administration, said the seating arrangement was a coincidence. Police officers outside the courtroom shouted "Loser" and "You're a disgrace" as Mr. Hodges left. "We've been disappointed to the point of outrage," said Patrick J. Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. Referring to Justice Blackburne's handling of Mr. Hodges's case, he said: "Once again she has released a future cop killer onto the streets of this city. Every police officer should be aware that this future murderer, a person who gunned down a New York City police officer, will be walking out of this courtroom."
|
ozens
of police officers and their union leaders packed a Queens courtroom
yesterday for a hearing on whether charges should be reinstated
against a man accused of shooting an officer.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |