Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 26, 1995 TAG: 9509260080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The FBI confirmed Monday that it is conducting a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Maurice Taylor by two Blacksburg police officers last month.
David Burch, supervisor in charge of the Roanoke FBI office, said he could not disclose any aspects of the investigation. The FBI's job is to open the case, gather facts and send findings to the Justice Department for a determination, he said.
He said he couldn't comment on how long the investigation has been going on or how it started. Taylor's family said last week they had asked federal authorities for an investigation.
Taylor, who is black, was shot 12 times after, police said, he pulled what turned out to be a BB pistol on three officers who approached him in a Blacksburg drugstore Aug. 9.
The officers were looking for Taylor, 22, to serve papers on him for failing to appear in court on charges he had violated probation. Taylor had been convicted in 1992 of robbery and served time in jail before being released on probation.
The BB pistol looks strikingly like a large-caliber Desert Eagle weapon. BB pistols such as the one Taylor had use compressed carbon dioxide gas to propel projectiles and can be dangerous, even fatal, at close range, authorities said.
Sources say officer Michael Mickey was struggling with Taylor, trying to wrestle the gun away. When Taylor pointed the pistol at the two officers in front of him - identified as officers T.D. Wimmer and J.E. Keene - they moved to their left, drew their weapons and fired.
Mickey was behind Taylor and was shot in the left thigh. Taylor did not fire his weapon, the sources said.
Monday, about a dozen Blacksburg High School students staged a protest at Henderson Lawn on the Virginia Tech campus at North Main Street and College Avenue.
The students carried signs asking motorists to honk their horns in memory of Taylor and chanted, "We want justice" and "We want answers."
Robert Couch and Talea Sanchez, two of the protesters, said they were near the drugstore when the shooting happened. Their concerns include the number of shots fired in such a public place.
"We don't really think it's racial," Couch said. "The reason is, why did it happen? ... We just want answers."
Family and friends demanded answers, too, when speaking at a community "listening session" held by the Human Relations Council of Montgomery County last week. But not much information has been available since the day after the shooting, with Chief Bill Brown reserving comment until a state police investigation is complete.
The investigation - requested by Brown - is grinding to a close, awaiting lab results that include ballistics tests. Commonwealth's Attorney Phil Keith said he told Taylor's mother last week that he has decided to turn the report over to a special prosecutor for evaluation because of concerns expressed by some that his office would clear Blacksburg police out-of-hand.
"I don't blame them. We have to work with Blacksburg every day. I understand they would want someone else to look at it, and in fact I would probably do it anyway," Keith said.
by CNB