Sunday Post Raises Questions about Police Officer Involved in 2008 Shooting Death of Langley Park Latino
Sunday's Washington Post has two stories about Cpl. Steven Jackson, the Prince George’s County police officer accused of beating and then fatally shooting Manuel de Jesus Espina. The incident last August caused uproar and exposed the mistrust between county police and Langley Park’s large Hispanic community.
A Metro section-front story reports how Espina’s son, Manuel de Jesus Espina Jacome, who watched his father die, stood up at a community meeting last week and asked county police officials: “What are you doing with assassin police officers?”
It’s not the first time Jackson’s version of an arrest didn’t jibe with other facts.
The Post has another story today about a traffic stop Jackson made in Hyattsville in May last year that led to the arrest of Shawn M. Leake. In his report, Jackson said Leake came out of his car swinging and “even tackled me to the ground.” The only problem is the police video, obtained by Leake’s lawyer and given to the Post, shows Jackson pulling Leake out of the car, slugging him and throwing him to the ground.
County prosecutors dropped the charges against Leake. Nevertheless, Jackson was cleared by an internal police investigation.
About three months after arresting Leake, Jackson shot and killed Espina while moonlighting as a security guard at the apartment complex where the confrontation occurred. Jackson has maintained that Espina was violently resisting arrest. But his son and another witness allege he was on the ground and not trying to fight back when the officer beat him and then pulled the trigger. While he wasn’t on the police payroll that night, Jackson is still on administrative duty until the internal inquiry into Espina’s death wraps. That investigation has dragged on for so long one can’t help but question whether the department is waiting for the case to fade from public view before deciding Jackson’s fate.
It makes you wonder what’s going on inside the P.G. County police force. Two other officers are also on administrative duty pending the outcome of an investigation into another traffic-stop incident involving a Latino, the Post reports.
Today’s Post goes through the motions of listing “signs” that police and the Latino community are rebuilding their tattered relationship. But it smacks of public relations spin. The fact that Jackson remains on the force nearly a year after Espina’s death – especially since it wasn’t the first time his version of events clashed with other evidence – seems sign enough that little has changed.
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1:49 pm
It was the Sheriff's Office, not the County Police, that shot the Mayor's dogs. Two completely separate agencies, missions, training, and employees.
You wonder what is going on with the County Police, I wonder what's going on with the relentless and inaccurate (e.g., Cherkis two weeks ago claiming the police were giving two different versions of the same shooting, when it was in fact two different shootings) questioning of every move the police make.
(I know, I know - you are certain that your point is still valid even though you did not know what you were saying, blah, blah, etc. and apparently did not read the Post's other story two months ago about how long it takes the County Police to investigate shootings - even straight forward ones - which would explain the delays.)
3:26 pm
Fact checking at the City Paper has been eliminated as a way to save money.
4:47 pm
Good point about the sheriff's department shooting the mayor's dogs. Mia culpa, mia culpa. Just fixed it. That's what I get for blogging on Sunday. But I stick by my general point; what is Jackson doing still on the force when there's more than one indication that he is not cut out for the job?
6:55 pm
i work with the police quite often and have very good relationships and trust the ones that i work with; however this is very troubling. it's not a matter of questioning every move by the police - but when an officer is involved in shooting an unarmed man on an open container arrest (did he ever hear of pepper spray??) and then is involved in beating a man on a traffic stop...and the article does say the officer hit the man with a fist after he pulled him out. that is incredibly troubling!! the officer should be fired. there is a right and wrong way to act...officers should be held to a high standard. i know it is dangerous out in dc and pg county...but they can't abuse the power they were given.
9:05 am
Your correction was a major douche move: Rather than simply deleting the text to erase the embarrassment of incorrect facts, why not act like a professional and simply strike out the wrong facts and note the correction in an update at the bottom of the post?
10:10 am
The cop defenders are out in full force, I see.
10:48 am
More like readers who want accurate information from the City Paper and accountability in the City Paper acknowledging blatant errors are out in full force.
12:03 pm
Hey listen, Skipper,
I acknowledged the error and made the correction. There is no effort to escape accountability here. It doesn't look like the same can be said of PG County Police Department in its internal investigations of Jackson. What's your real beef? Are you hoping that by pummeling the city paper you can avoid the issue the story raised?
3:07 pm
Christine,
As a "journalist" (obviously a stretch) your job is to report facts. You do not know all the facts, yet want Jackson fired because the SUSPECTS family says he did no wrong. Did you know Jackson received stitches in his face because of the taped altercation? As far as his shooting, how do you think he ended up in an apartment with the SUSPECTS? As he was fighting for his life they ended up going through an apartment door, Jackson didnt just walk in and shoot someone. Good thing your crappy blog is free, although I wouldnt even print it and use it to line a hamsters cage
4:40 pm
Jim, You know so many insider details of the case, it makes me doubt your objectivity. Good to see my story generating so much attention, though.
10:22 pm
This same officer was involved with beating Maryland resident Shawn M. Leake during a traffic stop over the tint on his car.
Classic case of cop gone bad....