Cops Charged in Katrina Shooting

Nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina, the federal government has charged four New Orleans police officers with civil-rights violations in the fatal shootings of two people, as well as the wounding of four others—all reportedly unarmed—on a bridge in the chaotic post-storm aftermath. Sgts. Robert Gisevius and Kenneth Bowen, as well as Officers Anthony Villavaso and Robert Faulcon, were charged with deprivation of rights under color of law and use of a weapon during the commission of a crime—and if convicted, they could face the death penalty. Two others, Sgts. Arthur Kaufman and Gerard Dugue, were charged in covering up the crime. Five other officers have already pleaded guilty in helping to cover up the shootings. Those officers testified that they found bloodied bodies on the Danziger Bridge with no guns on or near them. Their pleas could be laying the groundwork for even more serious charges against those suspected of committing the actual shooting and cover-up.