Curtis Bernard Harris had been in an out of jail since 1993, with a number of weapon, drug, and assault charges. Yet L.A. County Superior Court Judge Tia Fisher released him even when the Los Angeles County Probation Department said he was “unsuitable for release.” As a result he shot and killed his ex-wife Monica Thomas-Harris, which he had repeatedly attacked and threatened before, then shot himself in the head.
“These deaths were sadly predictable,” said Katie Buckland, executive director of the California Women’s Law Center. “This is the classic cycle of intimate partner violence. To say the least, it was irresponsible of the judge, and particularly the prosecutors, to allow Curtis Harris to be released without bail for any reason.”
“We knew he was a killer. The first time was practice,” said Alice Slaughter, whose daughter worked with Thomas-Harris. Slaughter went to the Pomona courthouse looking for answers in her friend’s death. She said she was angry that authorities failed to protect Thomas-Harris from a man who had been violent and confrontational for years. [Full Story]
Many people who know Harris were scared of him. It was no surprise that Harris could do such a thing, it was a surprise that law enforcement would allow it to happen.
In a completely opposite case, Michael Sungman Cho, a 25-year-old, graduated UCLA art student was shot and killed by police officers outside of a liquor store for holding a tire iron. Michael had no criminal past and many friends of Cho say that he was nothing but friendly and considerate. Currently his death is under investigation of excessive force used by the police.
Police released few details about Cho’s death until Jan. 4, when La Habra Police Chief Dennis Kies met with members of the Korean-American Federation.
Officers had responded to two calls from the same person about vehicles in a shopping center allegedly being vandalized and the second call listed Cho as the suspect, according to the Orange County Register.
Two officers who arrived at the shopping center, now on administrative leave, saw Cho holding a tire iron and ordered him to put it down.
Investigators said the officers saw Cho turn and walk from them twice and during the second time, he made a motion that appeared to attack an officer, who shot him. After that, the second officer used his gun.
Ahn said footage and video stills taken from the parking lot has led many community members, himself included, to call the police reaction excessive and unnecessary. [Full Story]
In both cases law enforcement failed the people by either being too lenient or too strict, Where’s the middle ground?
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