Who’s Lying

Authorities have recently cleared the two officers involved in the police shooting, at the Timbers Motel, on February 28th, of any wrong-doing, finding that lethal force was justified. Yet questions remain unanswered, and according to those in power’s own statements, someone is lying.

At about 2pm on February 28th, GJPD Officers Isaac Gallegos and Allen Kwiatkowski responded to a domestic dispute call at the Timbers Motel. After talking to Nancy Ingram, officers went to the room to arrest her husband, Brent Ingram, on a couple of misdemeanor warrants. A few minutes later Brent Ingram lay dead with two bullets in his chest.

Serious questions started to be asked when, on March 2nd, a Daily Sentinel article interviewed Nancy Ingram. “…The officers then dragged her husband’s body to the doorway and removed his clothing. ‘Even the underwear, his privates and everything were showing,’ she said.”

The next day, March 3rd, about a dozen people protested outside of the police department, questioning the use of force and tampering with a crime scene by moving Ingram’s body. In response, GJPD Chief Camper told Channels 8 and 11 news that accusations about officers moving the body were false and based on rumor.

Another eyewitness, a guest who was staying at the Timbers motel at the time and who wishes to remain anonymous, heard police shouting at Ingram to “drop it” and then heard the gunshots. At this point, the witness went outside of his/her room and witnessed officers dragging Ingram’s body to the doorway of the motel room. The witness reported that he/she told investigators the same thing.

So who’s lying? Chief Camper or Nancy Ingram and other eyewitnesses?

A letter, dated March 23rd, from Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger to Grand Junction Police Chief John Camper, cleared officers of any wrong-doing and found that lethal force was justified. In the letter, Hautzinger says that Ingram was charging officers with a knife and therefore lethal force was justified. Hautzinger uses the location of Ingram’s body in the doorway of the motel room, as evidence that he was charging the officers. “Mr. Ingram fell face down in the entryway, winding up exactly where Officer Kwiatkowski had been standing.” Earlier in the letter, Hautzinger placed Officer Kwiatkowski “ near the door of the room while Officer Gallegos entered, went in between the beds and began to check under the beds.”

Mesa County Deputy Coroner and forensic pathologist, Dr. Robert Kurtzman, performed the autopsy on Ingram, and told the Daily Sentinel in an article from March 24th, that “A dying Brent Ingram was dragged by police or medical personnel to the doorway of a North Avenue motel room in an effort to provide easier access for emergency responders.” “Until they know he’s dead, they have to make every effort to preserve his life,” Kurtzman told the Sentinel. Kurtzman also told the Sentinel that “events surrounding the treatment of Ingram’s body were explained to him by law enforcement.” and went on to say that “The most important thing for me is: are the patterns of injuries consistent with the reported circumstances, and they are in this case.”

Kurtzman is getting us closer to the truth, but even his statements are a little inconsistent and certainly don’t match Hautzinger’s conclusions on where the body lay at the time of the shooting. The idea that officers dragged the body to “provide easier access” for first responders or in an “effort to preserve his life,” is hard to belive. First off, it’s far easier for first responders to get a person onto a gurney in the middle of a room rather then the middle of a doorway. Secondly, if someone is seriously injured as Ingram was, with a bullet in his spine, the last thing that anyone should do is move that person.

So who’s lying? Camper? Hautzinger? Nancy Ingram and other eyewitnesses? Kurtzman? We as a community need to know, but unfortunately we are unlikely to ever get real answers.

From the upcoming Red Pill vol 8 no 5 http://www.gjredpill.org

DA Clears Officers of Any Wrong Doing

Here’s the DA’s Summary of the Timbers Motel Shooting. The letter clears officers of any wrong doing.

View this document on Scribd

Many Question GJ Police Shooting

According to the mainstream media account’s, at about 2:20pm on February 28th, Grand Junction Police Department responded to a domestic dispute call at the Timber’s Motel. A few minutes later, Brent Ingram, lay dead from two police bullets in his chest. The authorities have said that Ingram was waving a knife at officers when he was shot.

The investigation is being handled by the 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Team (CIT). CIT is comprised of local police departments, Sheriff’s Department, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney’s Office. Kathy Porras, the Police Departments PR hack said the the Sheriff’s Department is the lead agency investigating the shooting. Porras said that the public is not likely to find out anymore information until the investigation is finished and the report is filled with the DA for determination if force was justified and/or if charges are to be pressed.

And that is about all the authorities are saying. But questions arise: couldn’t they have ‘Tased’ him instead? Why are the Police being so secretive? And why did the wife of the slain man say that she saw the officers drag the body and then remove all his close (tampering a crime scene)?

Was lethal force needed to deal with a pocket knife? Couldn’t talking him down for a minute, or even the use of less then lethal weapons have saved a life? Porras said that they had decided not to release department guidelines on the use of force until after the Investigation. When asked if department guidelines are usually public documents she said most parts were public and that I was free to file an Open Records Act Request. Which we promptly did.

Porras also would not comment on a Daily Sentinel article from March 2nd in which the slain man’s wife Nancy Ingram, told the Sentinel:

“the officers then dragged her husband’s body to the doorway and removed his clothing. ‘Even the underwear, his privates and everything were showing,‘ she said.”
This is serious. If the officers moved the body they are tampering with a crime scene. If they tampered with the crime scene by moving the body and stripping it, could they have tampered with it in some other way?

Porras also refused to comment if moving a body after a shooting is standard procedure or not. We filed for those documents as well. “These are details that should be investigated and should eventually be released,” Porras said.

This reporter couldn’t obtain a copy of the Incident Report and found that the “daily officer resume” had pages missing from 9am on the day of the shooting until the next morning. The clerk would not answer why. The rest of the incidents from that time period should at least be public documents. Unless, perhaps there was earlier contact with PD and Ingram that day? We filed for those documents as well.

Starting at 1pm on Wednesday protesters with many of the same questions picked the Police Department with signs like “Why did they move the body?” “Stop Police Brutality.” “Can you say Police State?” “Why not Taser him?” Many passing vehicles honked and waved in support. A local busking folk band, Dem Bones, played on the side-walk with the protesters.

“The people want answers. We have serious questions.” said Ken Wheeler.

From The Red Pill Vol. 8 No. 3 http://www.gjredpill.org