Shot in cold blood

I saw this on CNN last night and because I have become so jaded in government (not only our own) it didn't surprise me in the least. A leaked report into Menezes' death made public by Britain's ITV television suggested the initial police statements about what happened that day were filled with false claims. Mr. de Menezes was shot eight times in the head by police who wrongly thought he was a suspected suicide bomber in a London subway. He was the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity.

The report showed that police were following Menezes because he left a building that was under surveillance because they believed one of the July 21 attackers, Hamdi Isaac, also known as Osman Hussein, lived there. Officers tailing him concluded that he matched the description, according to the leaked documents cited by ITV. However, a surveillance officer had failed to record Menezes leaving the property in Tulse Hill because he had gone to take a leak and so was unable to switch on the video recording device.

London police were authorized to shoot and kill suspects they believed might try to set off more subway bombs. Shortly after de Menezes' death, police justified their actions by saying he was acting suspiciously and tried to run from officers, forcing detectives to make a split-second decision to shoot him.

ITV News, citing documents and photographs, reported that de Menezes was not carrying any bags when he entered the Stockwell Tube station and was wearing a denim jacket, rather than a bulky coat as police had previously said. (Take a look at the pictures on CNN.)

De Menezes walked at a normal pace, did not vault any barriers and even stopped to pick up a newspaper.

According to surveillance footage, he descended to the train slowly on an escalator, then ran toward the open subway car and took a seat.

At about the same time, armed officers were provided with positive identification that de Menezes was either Hamdi Issac, also known as Osman Hussain, one of the suspected bombers from the day before, or another suspect, at which point he was shot, ITV News reported.

A member of the surveillance team is quoted in the report, "I heard shouting which included the word `police' and turned to face the male in the denim jacket... He immediately stood up and advanced towards me and the CO19 officers. I grabbed the male in the denim jacket by wrapping both my arms around his torso, pinning his arms to his side. I then pushed him back on to the seat where he had been previously sitting. I then heard a gun shot very close to my left ear and was dragged away onto the floor of the carriage."

ITV News also reported that an autopsy showed that de Menezes was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder -- and that three other bullets missed.

Looks like the London police are going for a cover-up by asking to carry on the investigation as to what happened in-house rather than letting a outside investigator look into the matter. A play right out of our own fine NYPD handbook, also known as "Operation Blue Shield".

[Update 8/18]
Here's another link to a BBC article about how "Scotland Yard 'initially resisted' the investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes."