UPDATE: From CT Post here
A second rally is planned for Monday at 5 p.m. in front of the city cop house in protest of police veteran Juan Santiago receiving special treatment for the unintentional discharge of a weapon inside the Bagel King in the North End in December. The bullet wounded Santiago in the leg and demolished a window. Critics ask, if a civilian had accidentally fired a gun instead of a police officer would the situation be treated different?
Last week a 23-year-old man from Black Rock was charged with an unlawful discharge of a weapon and reckless endangerment after he told police his gun went off while he was cleaning it. The bullet apparently hit a neighbor’s house. Protesters point to this as a double standard.
The incident involving Santiago sparked heated exchanges on OIB and Facebook that included former State Rep. Edna Garcia who says most of the noise is coming from out-of-town gun advocates such as firearms safety instructor Jonathan Hardy, and Palin Smith and James Freedman.
The .45 caliber semi-automatic weapon had apparently been loaned to another police officer by a physician who was returning the gun to an officer at Bagel King. The weapon had been passed to Santiago by another city police officer. The gun went off accidentally while Santiago examined the weapon, according to witnesses. Several city police officers were in Bagel King at the time of the accident. Santiago was treated in St. Vincent’s Medical Center. Santiago is president of the Bridgeport Police Hispanic Society. He works in the identification division of the department that includes fingerprinting of civilians.
Santiago is back on the job doing administrative work while State Police investigate the incident. Police Chief Joe Gaudett says there’s been no special treatment in the process, emphasizing each case has a different set of circumstances.
Hardy, Smith and Freedman have published a Facebook page “Why don’t laws apply to the police?” See here.
Hardy writes on Facebook:
Just some of the insanity comparing the two incidents. All we demand is, equal protection under the law. Unless you’re former state rep Edna Garcia, who is completely fine (going by her facebook posts) that officers have a completely separate set of rules.
She’s a former representative who still wants to see politics in all that we do. Silly ex-politician. She still wants to play politics. We don’t see this as a partisan issue at all. All we are demanding is equal application of the law–period.
It looks like very few people are seeking the training/instruction of firearms safety instructor Jonathan Hardy leaving him plenty of time to foolishly run his mouth.
As a so-called firearms safety instructor Jonathan Hardy should be aware drugs and guns don’t mix well. When a gun is fired inside a room, one can smell the distinct smell of gunpowder. When marijuana is smoked in a room, one can smell the distinct smell of marijuana. It’s very likely 23-year-old Kenneth Sullivan of Midland Street was indeed smoking marijuana before his gun was fired. Juan Santiago and all Bridgeport Police Officers are drug tested at random and the only smell on the scene of the accidental discharge (Bagel King) was that of coffee and baked goods.
The only thing the Midland Street incident demonstrates is there should be legislation requiring gun owners to take a drug test when circumstances such as the Midland Street incident arises. Here comes the NRA.
Excluding the marijuana smell Joel, why was the civilian arrested and not the cop? It is simple; there are two sets of rules, one for us dumb asses who pay police salaries and one set of rules that apply to cops only.
Having done thousands of investigations who is kidding whom when the state attorney says the case is still under investigation? What’s to investigate? Gun brought into restaurant in its case, cop cocks the weapon and it fires. Maybe you take statements from people in the building and that’s it. This stalling is in the hopes the public will forget.
While we are on this law and order kick; Joel, what do you think about the head of the Bridgeport Housing authority resigning his position? Does that mean the feds have found a lot more that we have been told? Mr. Miller in all fairness was not here when these transgressions happened.
BTW just look at the Finch-appointed housing authority and you will see what’s wrong.
*** Mr. Miller must see much more graffiti writing on the wall that reads “mucho problems” at the BHA besides the money transgressions! *** Also, this accidental discharge case is why many folks feel Police in general overuse and abuse the powers of their legal authority when it comes to the law they’re supposed to uphold and enforce. *** Depending on the circumstances, certain laws seem to apply only to the average citizen and not the men and women in blue, no? *** BLUE PASSES ***