Cops imprisoned for death in botched drug raid

This entry is about yet another drug raid that went awry - this time in Atlanta in 2006.

For starts, police used a no-knock warrant, which is illegal. Furthermore, the warrant was obtained on falsified information. Cops used this warrant to barge into the home of an innocent 92-year-old woman - after an informant lied and told them there were drugs in the home.

The elderly woman thought the cops were robbers, so she grabbed her gun and shot through the door. Police returned fire with 39 shots and killed her.

The cops in this case were actually worse than robbers. They were home invaders. And they became killers.

The police officers then attempted to cover up the actions they took in getting the bogus warrant! One of the cops even placed marijuana in the residence to make it look like they had the right house.

But the lies and cover-ups didn't pay: A federal judge has now sentenced 3 officers involved in the botched raid to prison terms varying from 5 to 10 years for violating the woman's civil rights. They are not eligible for parole (though they can get their sentences reduced by 15% for good behavior).

I think it's a shame they didn't receive an even longer sentence. Twelve bullets were found in the elderly woman's body, and they only get 5 to 10 years? If the woman had killed the cops that she thought were robbers, she would have probably received the death penalty. I'm not in favor of capital punishment, but I think the drug cops got off easy for killing an innocent person.

The officers still face state charges of voluntary manslaughter.

Meanwhile, trust in the Atlanta police has been shattered.

(Source: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/02/23/johnston_sentencing.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab)