Archive for July, 2008

KATU.com

SILVERTON, Ore. (AP) - The family of an Irish citizen shot by a policeman here viewed the body Thursday and say they believe he was shot multiple times.

The sister and brother-in-law of Andrew James Hanlon saw Hanlon’s body for the first time.

"It offered some closure to the ongoing grieving process, but it was definitely very upsetting to both of us," Nathan Heise said Thursday.

Heise said it appeared Hanlon had two gunshot wounds to his left arm, three wounds to his abdomen, one on his thigh and one in the back of his shoulder. "It was definitely not grouped in one area," he said.

News of the shooting in this quiet town in the heart of the Willamette Valley agricultural area is causing reverberations in Ireland.

The mother of the slain man went on the radio in Ireland Thursday to criticize police and prosecutors for failing to provide her with information.

"We’re not getting any answers because they’re closing ranks on us," Dorothea Carroll said in an interview Thursday with RT Radio One’s Liveline in Dublin.

"As his mom, I’m being kept out of the loop. Nobody’s telling me anything."

Heise said Carroll is expected to arrive in Oregon within the next few days, as are Irish journalists.

Irish television, radio and newspapers began peppering officials here with questions via telephone on Thursday.

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michel Martin, has contacted Marion County prosecutors extending his condolences to Hanlon’s family.

Hanlon was shot and killed late Monday evening by Officer Tony Gonzalez, who was responding to a reported burglary in progress.

Gonzalez is on administrative leave during the multi-agency investigation, which is routine in officer-involved shootings.

Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau said no information will be released until the investigation is complete.

Beglau said he has been in touch with the Irish Consulate and is willing to meet with Hanlon’s family to explain the investigative process.

Carroll said she had e-mailed the Silverton Police Department and the Marion County District Attorney’s office but got no reply.

"Nobody will speak to me and tell me anything," she said.

Silverton residents also are seeking information such as whether Hanlon was armed and how many shots were fired.

About 70 people protested at the Silverton Police Department on Wednesday.

Carroll now lives in France, was in Ireland visiting her other son when she received word of Hanlon’s death.

Hanlon had been living with his mother in France and attending art school when he came to visit his sister in Silverton a year ago.

Carroll said her only contact in Silverton except for family members came from Mayor Ken Hector, who knew Hanlon and was very distressed.

"No mother and no family expects to lose a 20-year-old son," she said. "Nobody expects that. And to lose a son is one thing," Carroll continued, her voice breaking, "but to lose a child, literally to be blasted away, to be shot to death, I mean my God, it’s a violent end. It’s a violent end."

Heise said services are pending.

Hanlon had mental issues and at times came banging on their door at night so they’d let him in for a place to sleep, Heise said.

The Heises say they think Hanlon took a wrong turn Monday night and started banging on doors on a different street, scaring the residents.

Someone called police, reporting a burglary, and one or more officers confronted Hanlon, Heise said.

Hanlon had been in Silverton for about a year and had overstayed his six months visitor’s visa.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Oregonlive.com
By BRAD CAIN
The Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Andrew Hanlon had an American dream straight out of Kerouac or Steinbeck — hitting the road to see the country.

But the 20-year-old Irish national never got the chance. For reasons yet to be explained, a small-town Oregon police officer shot him dead last week, and now his mother has come to America to bring his corpse back to Ireland.

Hanlon’s mother, Dorothea Carroll, was in the U.S. Friday looking for answers and said her son’s death appeared to be a case of "unreasonable and excessive force" by a police officer.

The case has generated wide publicity and outrage in Ireland, where police shootings are rare. Hanlon was shot seven times in the abdomen, arm, thigh and back, according to a statement from his family.

Carroll was hoping that Friday’s face-to-face meeting with investigators would yield more details about the night last week that Silverton police officer Tony Gonzalez shot her son.

The meeting lasted two hours, and afterward a law firm issued a statement on behalf of his family. It expressed hope prosecutors would pursue the case "with integrity and diligence."

"We trust that this process will result in justice and accountability for what seems to us to be a clear case of unreasonable and excessive force," the statement said. "While we mourn our loss and await the outcome of the process, we ask for respect and privacy, and will be referring all media inquiries to our lawyers."

Deputy Marion County District Attorney Matthew Kemmy declined to discuss what happened at the meeting but said he expects the case to go to a county grand jury within two weeks.

According to a family member, Carroll wasn’t granting interviews after Friday’s meeting.

After the June 30 shooting, Carroll went on Irish radio to criticize police and prosecutors for not providing her with information about the shooting of her son. The death has shaken her family, Carroll said.

"No mother and no family expects to lose a 20-year-old son," she said. "And to lose a son is one thing, but to lose a child, literally to be blasted away, to be shot to death, I mean my God, it’s a violent end. It’s a violent end."

Hanlon had been visiting the United States for the past year and lived in Silverton during his stay.

Hanlon was described by his family as mentally ill. He was killed when Gonzalez responded to a report of a burglary.

Hanlon’s sister and brother-in-law live in Silverton. They say Hanlon was in the habit of banging on their door when he wanted a place to stay the night, and he may have just gotten confused and knocked on the wrong door.

Earlier this week, the Silverton Police Officers’ Association created a stir when it issued a statement saying that the group thought the actions by Gonzalez were justified.

"As members of the community we serve, we agree that the truth of this recent event should be known by all as quickly as is possible," said Rich Budry, a Silverton detective. "We strongly believe the district attorney’s office and grand jury investigation will prove the use of force was justified under the statute."

In response, the Marion County district attorney’s office publicly chastised the police association, saying the group should keep quiet until an investigation into an officer-involved shooting is complete.

The district attorney’s office said the association’s comments could mislead the public into thinking that the investigation of the shooting will be an in-house affair.

A multi-agency team is investigating the shooting, and its results will be reviewed by the district attorney’s office and most likely will go before a grand jury.

"To be clear, no member of the Silverton Police Department is involved in the investigation or has access to the evidence," the district attorney’s office said.

Gonzalez, 35, has been placed on administrative leave since the incident.