# FBI Joins Probe of Florida Police Shooting



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*BRIAN HAAS and AKILAH JOHNSON*
_Courtesy of the Sun-Sentinel_

*View WTVJ Video*

*FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--* The FBI on Thursday joined the investigation into the fourth fatal shooting by Fort Lauderdale police this year as residents of the Sistrunk corridor vented their frustration and demanded answers from the department at a chaotic community meeting. 
The FBI will begin a civil rights investigation into the police killing Tuesday of Troy Eddines, 21, and the wounding of Travis Jackson, said Judy Orihuela, spokeswoman for the FBI. She said that the FBI jumped in because of "a combination of some citizen calls that we received and media scrutiny." She said her agency routinely investigates police shootings if there's enough community and media interest. 
NAACP officials said they requested the help of the Department of Justice. 
City spokesman Ted Lawson said the police department met with the FBI on Thursday afternoon. 
Police Chief Bruce Roberts "welcomes their participation in our investigation of the recent tragedy," Lawson said, adding the FBI will "ensure community support and confidence in the investigation." 
Eddines and Jackson both have lengthy criminal records and were in a stolen Mistubishi SUV when they were shot, police say. The SUV was carjacked Friday in a Coconut Creek Walgreens parking lot after three men rammed it with a stolen Honda, according to police. 
Eddines' photo was picked out of a lineup as the one who brandished a gun during the theft, said Tony Avello, spokesman for the Coconut Creek Police Department. Detectives are still trying to determine Jackson's role, if any. 
The police shooting packed hundreds into the top room of the Mizell Center Thursday night and laid bare tensions between some in the black community and police. 
Those who attended the meeting were met with chaos. Not enough chairs to sit. No microphone to hear. No organized way to tell their stories. Just another example, they said, of the daily discrimination they face at the hands of the police department. 
"It makes us feel what we are already feeling -- injustice, injustice in the black community," said Sabrina Whitehead, 29, who grew up with Eddines. 
Residents have criticized police after the latest shooting, and complained about harassment from officers who patrol the Sistrunk area. 
Mayor Jim Naugle was at the meeting, as was City Commissioner Carlton Moore, who helped organize it. Roberts and his top officers also attended. Broward officials with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were present, too. 
But yelling seemed to be way for anyone to be heard. After nearly an hour with no public address system, someone handed the police chief a megaphone. Then came a karaoke-style microphone-single speaker setup, but there was too much electronic feedback. At about 6:50 p.m., officials tried to cancel the meeting. Outrage erupted. It continued. 
Residents "came here because they were concerned with a lack of respect, and they came into the room and saw a continuation of that," Moore said. 
About 300 citizens tossed out questions faster than police could answer them: Why? What's the procedure for use of deadly force? When were paramedics called? Few seemed pleased with the responses they received. Since the shooting is still being investigated, officials said few details could be released. 
"There are a lot of facts we don't know yet, and we're not going to speculate on those facts," said assistant City Manager David Hébert. 
Police on Thursday identified the two officers involved in the shooting as Officer Robert Norvis, 35, and Officer Todd Hill, 33. They also gave some new details in the case: 
Norvis and Hill had fliers about the carjacking of the Mistubishi when they confronted Eddines and Jackson, 21. 
The officers fired "less than" 8 bullets. 
No weapons were found with Eddines or Jackson. 
Eddines had been identified as the man who held a gun as the Mitsubishi SUV was stolen. 
Deputies arrested Jackson on Thursday night in connection with the armed robbery of three teens in Tamarac the day after the SUV was stolen. Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Leljedal said Jackson was identified by the teens as the man who robbed them at gunpoint. 
Jackson was being held without bail on three charges of armed robbery, the Sheriff's Office said. 
Thursday night's meeting, if nothing else, was good for one thing, said Broward NAACP President Marsha Ellison. Awareness. 
"The Fort Lauderdale police said they are unaware of the outrage in the community, they were unaware of all the complaints on those officers. They can't say that anymore," she said. 
It was the second time Norvis killed a suspect in his six years with Fort Lauderdale police. Hill has been with the department since 1997. Both officers are highly decorated, said Michael Dutko, an attorney who consulted both officers after the shooting. Police did not make their personnel files available Thursday. 
"They're both extraordinary police officers," he said. 
Norvis was Officer of the Year for the state of Florida after the 2000 shooting of David Royce Truman. Norvis, only a few weeks on the job, stopped Truman for an expired tag along with his training officer. Police at the time said Truman, an ex-Oakland Park officer, came out of the truck shooting, striking Norvis in the hand and his partner in the neck and arm. Norvis returned fire and killed Truman. 
Moore had called for an independent investigation into the shooting, actions that angered the police department's union. 
"Despite the fact that he is aware of the process, despite the fact that he was on the scene and is aware of things other people aren't aware of, he continues to feed the emotional side of this issue," said Mike Tucker, vice president and chief steward of Fort Lauderdale Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 31. 
News of the FBI's plans to investigate heartened Eddines' family and friends. 
"Maybe we'll get the answers that we're looking for," said Tatianna Florence, Eddines' pregnant girlfriend. "Everybody's still trying to find out why he got shot."

_Republished with permission of the Sun-Sentinel._


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