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Shooting victim's mother disgusted with Danziger verdicts
Reported by: Shelley Brown, Weekend Anchor
Email: [email protected]
The families of the people injured and killed on the Danziger Bridge after Hurricane Katrina may be able to put one chapter of their lives behind them. While the trial is over, at least one shooting victim's mother is outraged over the verdict in the case involving current and former New Orleans Police officers.
"I want the word murder behind their name, attached to their name. I'm not satisfied with this, and I'm not going to be satisfied with this. I'm not. I was so shook yesterday," said Sherrel Johnson, the mother of 17-year-old James Brissette, Jr., one of two people shot and killed on the bridge in September 2005.
Johnson said her heart stopped beating as a federal judge read the verdicts in the Danziger shooting trial Friday. "We have a zero victory," said Johnson.
<span style="font-weight: bold">The jury found each of the five defendants guilty on every count against them, including using a firearm to shoot at people on the bridge, but it found that the officers did not have the intent to commit murder.
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"You (officers) going to stand over my child and shoot into my child's body. All of ya'll (officers) with them powerful rifles, but he wasn't murdered. He was just shot to death. That doesn't make sense. That doesn't sit well. I didn't go to sleep till four o'clock this morning," explained Johnson.
Like all of the families involved, Johnson has waited nearly six years to go to trial. Although it's over, she says she doesn't have closure.
"You (officers) going to get out the truck, go around and lean over the railing and shoot them people and my son maybe 11 times.. they tore him up," said Johnson.
In 2005, Brissette was about to start his senior year at Frederick Douglas High School. His family rode out the storm in the city, and curious about the devastation, Johnson said Brissette took off with a couple of friends to check things out. Before he left, Johnson said she told her son to come back before it got dark, but Brissette never came back, and it was a year later when his Johnson finally learned what had happened to him.
"A marine recruiter told me James is going to go a long way.. he could be anything he wants, and now I'm thinking yeah James couldn't even go over the Danziger Bridge. Ya'll (officers) just stopped my child in his tracks," said Johnson.
His life was cut short, and Brissette's mother said she'll have to go through life without him, knowing he didn't get justice.
The four men convicted of firing their weapons are in custody and face up to a maximum sentence of life in prison. Arthur Kaufman, who was convicted of conspiracy, lying to the police and falsifying evidence is looking at a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison. He's out on bond until sentencing on December 14th.