Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

In this series, City Desk has set out to chronicle the case's oddities and various headscratchers. You can read part one here, part two here, part three here, part four here, part five here, and part six here. Our latest installment focuses on deposition witness: James Haskel's wife---Corsondra L. Haskel.

Mrs. Haskel is important. Why? Because immediately after the shooting, Clay drove Haskel's Tahoe back to her house. The first civilian he talked to was Corsondra L. Haskel.

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files Part 7: The Concerned Witness" »

Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

In this series, City Desk has set out to chronicle the case's oddities and various headscratchers. You can read part one here, part two here, part three here, part four here, and part five here. In this latest installment, we find a very curious detail---one that complicates Haskel's decision to go out looking for his mini bike.

On September 17, 2007, Haskel didn't just leave a wife and young child behind to go looking for his mini bike. He left a fellow D.C. cop.

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files Part 6: Haskel’s Neighbors Do The Right Thing" »

Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

In this series, City Desk has set out to chronicle the case's oddities and various headscratchers. You can read part one here, part two here, part three here, and part four here. In this latest installment, we focus on Haskel's explanation of why he fled the scene. Immediately following his shooting of Rawlings in the back of the head, Haskel contends a hostile crowd formed.

Haskel's contention is not backed up by his fellow cops.

In his deposition with Rawlings' family attorney Gregory Lattimer, Sgt. Ralph Wax tries to make the case for Haskel. But after lengthy questioning, Wax must concede that the crowd may not have been hostile at all.

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files Part 5: Crowd Control" »

Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

In this series, City Desk has set out to chronicle the case's oddities and various headscratchers. You can read part one here, part two here, and part three here. In this installment, we present a curious incident that took place shortly after the Rawlings shooting.

According to the D.C. Police's preliminary investigative report, the shooting drew a very high-profile crowd to the scene at Highland Dwellings: Mayor Adrian Fenty, Chief Cathy Lanier, Asst. Chief Willie Dandridge, 7D Command Joel Maupin, Commander Alfred Durham, Special Operations Division Commander Patrick Burke, Acting Asst. Chief in the Office of Professional Responsibility Matthew Klein, Capt. Melvin Gresham, and various watch commanders and Force Investigation detectives.

One person on the scene actually found a red minibike--Det. K. Goldberg. By the time he arrived, Rawlings had been transported to Children's Hospital and the scene had been secured, the report states. Goldberg states that he began canvassing the neighborhood for evidence.

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files Part 4: After The Shooting, A Mini Bike Is Found" »

Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

In this series, City Desk has set out to chronicle the case's oddities and various headscratchers. You can read part one here, and part two here. Now comes this curious detail from Sgt. Ralph Wax.

On September 4, 2008, the D.C. Police Department cleared Haskel and Clay of wrongdoing in connection with the shooting death of Rawlings. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that she was happy to have the officers back. But in the Post story linked above, it was reported that Clay had been reprimanded for an undisclosed infraction. Sgt. Wax's deposition sheds some light on what that might have been. In his deposition, he stated that he cited both officers. And the citation was not for some small infraction.

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files Part 3: Were The Officers Punished By The Department?" »

Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

In this series, City Desk has set out to chronicle the case's oddities and various head scratchers. You can read part one here. This next item is a real whopper.

On the day after the police shooting death of DeOnte Rawlings, D.C. Police Department Inspector Matthew Klein cleared both Haskel and Clay to return to full-duty status. The official was writing from his position inside the Office of Professional Responsibility. Both officers had given statements to police detectives but they had yet to give a walk-through of the scene. Officials hadn't even tested Clay's guns. Put it this way, Rawlings' blood hadn't been cleaned from the sidewalk and a high-ranking official was already clearing the two off-duty cops.

Klein writes in his letter on Haskel--the officer who shot and killed Rawlings:

"The Force Investigation Team initiated a preliminary review of this case in conjunction with the United States Attorney's Office. Moreover, the Force Investigation Team has found no issues of concern regarding Officer Haskel's role at this stage of the investigation that would preclude his return to full duty.

It is therefore been determined by the Office of Professional Responsiblity that Officer Haskel shall be placed in a Full-Duty Status, in accordance with the provisions set forth in General Order 901.11...."

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files Part II: D.C. Police Official Cleared Cops The Day After The Shooting" »

Maybe you are sick of hearing about the DeOnte Rawlings case. The 14-year-old was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on September 17, 2007. That's a long time ago. By now, the off-duty cops have been cleared by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the D.C. Police Department. Law enforcement contends that Rawlings had fired on the officers---James Haskel and Anthony Clay---first and was riding Haskel's stolen minibike. Officer Haskel only returned fire in self defense.

So what keeps this case from going away? We keep learning new problems with the police work on this case, and new holes in the narrative. Today we published a very long piece on the Rawlings shooting that's simply taken from the depositions of those involved. In it you may find out things you didn't already know. On City Desk, I will be presenting a series of documents and deposition testimony highlighting more screwups, questionable memos, and just sad little details. There's a reason why this case won't go away.

Kicking off this series, we have an exchange between Rawlings' family's attorney Gregory Lattimer and Sgt. Ralph Wax during Wax's deposition taken last fall. Wax headed up the investigation into the shooting. Here he details what Rawlings had on him when he died and the confusion over exactly what color shirt he was wearing at the time. The shirt color would turn out to be crucial since the cops could only recall what Rawlings was wearing at the time. They couldn't identify any of his physical features. Wax also notes that no gunshot residue was found on Rawlings' clothing.

Read More "The DeOnte Rawlings Files: Part One" »