Ex-New Orleans cop found not guilty at retrial in fatal post-Katrina shooting

  Jonathan Bachman / APDavid Warren smiles during a news conference after his acquittal Wednesday in Metairie, La.By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC NewsA former New Orleans police officer who was convicted three years ago of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a man after Hurricane Katrina was found not guilty Wednesday by a second jury. "I took the action I had to take," David Warren told reporters after the verdict. "I still believe the actions I took that day were the proper actions."Warren, 50 — who served more than three years in prison in the death of Henry Glover, 31, in September 2005 — was acquitted of civil rights and firearm charges in federal court in Metairie, La. His 26-year sentence from his manslaughter conviction was overturned on appeal last year, leading to the retrial.The initial conviction had been seen as a sign that New Orleans was moving on after the deep divisions Katrina exposed in the community. When the acquittal was announced Wednesday, Glover's friends and relatives erupted, crying and screaming about what they said was an injustice. Warren was escorted out of the courthouse to freedom by U.S. marshals for his own safety.Warren shot Glover with a rifle as he was guarding a police substation after the historic hurricane devastated New Orleans. Another officer burned Glover's body in a car. He was initially tried along with four other former officers, who were accused of covering up Glover's death.Warren and two of the other former officers were convicted, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled that he should have been tried separately.As he did during his first trial, Warren testified Monday that he feared for his life when he shot Glover because he thought he saw a gun in Glover's hand. Prosecutors said Glover wasn't armed and didn't pose a threat."I do not have regrets. I still feel I acted properly," Warren told reporters.The acquittal came about an hour after jurors resumed deliberating Wednesday. They'd told U.S. District Judge Lance Africk late Tuesday that they were deadlocked, but Africk ordered them to deliberate as long as necessary."It was a hard case to prosecute, because in this particular case the jury couldn't hear about" the alleged cover-up, Robert C. Jenkins, a prominent New Orleans criminal defense attorney, told NBC station WDSU. "There are no winners here."Federal authorities can't bring criminal charges against Warren again in the case, but the verdict doesn't affect civil litigation against him.Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com

Sentence in fatal DWI Texas Teen accident causes anger

A teenager from a family of rich was sentenced to probation this week when he killed four pedestrians when he lost control of his truck for speeding while driving drunk in North Texas, a punishment that outraged the families of the victims and the prosecutors left disappointed.The 16-year-old boy was sentenced Tuesday at a Fort Worth juvenile court to 10 years of probation after confessed the killing of poisoning in the accident on June 15 on a dark rural road.Prosecutors had sought the maximum 20 years in State custody for the Keller teen, but his lawyers have appealed to state district judge Jean Boyd that adolescents need rehabilitation not prison, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.If the child continues to be cushioned by the wealth of his family, another tragedy is inevitable, said Prosecutor Richard Alpert in the Court."There may be doubts and that will be another judged someday blaming the lenient treatment he received here," said Alpert.Authorities said that the teenager and friends were seen in surveillance video stealing two cases of beer from a store. He had seven passengers in his Ford F-350, was speeding and had a level of alcohol in the blood three times the legal limit, according to testimony during the trial. His truck collided with four pedestrians, killing Brian Jennings, a 43-year-old Burleson youth Minister; Breanna Mitchell of Lillian, 24; Shelby Boyles, 21; and his mother's 52-year-old Hollie Boyles.Boyd said that the programs available in the Texas juvenile justice system cannot provide that type of intensive therapy adolescents could receive in rehab near Newport Beach, California, which was suggested by his defence lawyers. Parents pick up the tab for the Center, at a cost of more than $ 450,000 a year for treatment.Scott Brown, lawyer defense of the child, said that he could have been released after two years if he had drawn a sentence of 20 years.But on the other hand, the judge "fashion a sentence that could keep it under the thumb of Justice for 10 years", said the Star-Telegram.Relatives of those killed in the accident drew little consolation from this guarantee.Eric Boyles, who lost his wife and daughter, said that the wealth of the family helped the teen avoid imprisonment."Money always seems to be out of danger," said Boyles. "Ultimately, I felt today, that prevail the money." If you had been any other young person, I feel that the circumstances would have been different."Shaunna Jennings, widow of the Minister, said that his family had forgiven the teenager but he believed that there was a need for a more serious punishment."He lived a life of privilege and right, and my prayer is not any in this," he said. "My fear is that I'm going to get out of this."A psychologist called as an expert witness for the defense said that the boy suffered from "influx", growing up in a home where the parents were concerned with arguments that led to a divorce.The father "has no relations, takes hostages," said psychologist Gary Miller, and the mother was forgiving. "His mantra was that if it feels good, do it", said.-The Associated Press

Washington state woman live-tweets husband's fatal auto accident

   Twitter.comBy M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC NewsA Washington State woman who monitors police scanners live-tweeted a fatal car wreck Wednesday, growing increasingly frantic as she began to suspect that the victim was her own husband.Caran Johnson, who live-tweets police activity in Vancouver, Wash., under the Twitter handle @ScanCouver, began following the accident on Interstate 205 near the Oregon state line about 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET):Very quickly, she began to fear the worst:I'm trying not to panic, but my husband left work early and he drives 205 to get home. he's not answering his phone.— CJ (@ScanCouver) December 4, 2013how long do i wait for him to come home before I call the police?— CJ (@ScanCouver) December 4, 2013Concern and sympathy began pouring in from Johnson's followers as she stayed with the increasingly traumatic story:@ScanCouver I'm sending you positive thoughts right now. I truly hope he is ok. I exited at Paden Pkwy and didn't see anyone pulled over. :[— Kirstie Hayes (@khayes1489) December 4, 2013Less than two hours after she started, Johnson reported that the victim was, indeed, her husband, tweeting simply: "it's him. he died."A trooper at the scene of a fatal car accident realized the victim's wife was live-tweeting her concerns and prevented pictures of the wreck from going out on social media so she could be informed of the tragedy in-person. KGW's Reggie Aqui reports.The Washington State Patrol and Vancouver police confirmed that Craig R. Johnson, 47, was killed about 1:40 p.m. when his Hyundai Elantra crossed the median and collided with a pickup truck. The truck driver survived but was seriously injured.Investigators said they didn't yet know what caused the accident, but Johnson tweeted that her husband had epilepsy and that he had told her he was feeling faint. You can read her entire report, which was archived on Storify by NBC station KGW of Portland:Watch the top videos on NBCNews.com