Ohio Town Protests Police Shooting

Residents of Lima, OH, are protesting the recent killing of a young woman and wounding of her 14-month-old child during a police SWAT-team raid.

The Toledo Blade reported on Jan. 17, 2008 ("Angry Lima Slams Shooting Inquiry") that "On Jan. 4, Tarika Wilson, 26, was shot to death and her 14-month-old son, Sincere, was wounded when members of the Lima Police Department's SWAT team searched Wilson's East Third Street home and arrested her boyfriend, Anthony Terry, 31, on drug charges. At some point during the 8:15 p.m. raid, Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, a 30-year veteran of the department, fired at Wilson, who was holding her young son in her arms. Her five other children were in the house at the time."

According to the Blade, "Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann came to town yesterday to assure Lima residents that his office would do a thorough and unbiased investigation into the fatal shooting of a local woman by a Lima police officer. Instead, he got an earful. For more than two hours, Mr. Dann and representatives of the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation listened as black and white residents expressed their distrust of the Lima police department, told stories of how they allegedly had been harassed by officers, and demanded to know how they could expect the state law enforcement agency to impartially investigate the actions of another law enforcement agency."

The Blade noted that "The state's findings are to be turned over to Defiance County Prosecutor Jeff Strausbaugh, who was appointed special prosecutor. Mr. Strausbaugh said he will review BCI&I's findings and determine whether or not the case should be presented to an Allen County grand jury for possible criminal charges against Sergeant Chavalia. 'I want an investigation that's been done independently, competently, and very thoroughly,' Mr. Strausbaugh said, adding that he was 'independent' of Lima and Allen County. FBI spokesman Scott Wilson said agents from the Toledo office also are investigating the case for possible federal civil-rights violations. Their findings will be turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice. Officials declined to discuss any details of the investigations. Several people in the audience asked why the probe should take so much time when it should be clear what happened. 'You've given us nothing,' said Thelma Flint. 'This case is open and shut. She was murdered. She was with her children.'"