Death of Henry Glover
Encyclopedia
The death of Henry Glover refers to the ongoing controversy over an African American
resident of New Orleans, Louisiana
, Henry Glover, whose charred body was found in a destroyed Chevrolet Malibu
on September 2, 2005, parked on a Mississippi River
levee
. Five current and former officers of the New Orleans Police Department
(NOPD) have been charged with Glover's death. First to be charged was former NOPD police officer David Warren, a rookie at the time, who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years and 9 months in prison for shooting and killing Glover. Former NOPD police officer Greg McRae was convicted of obstructing justice and other charges in the burning of Glover's body and was sentenced to 17 years and 3 months in prison. NOPD Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann is charged with assaulting civilians who came to Glover's aid, as well as obstructing a federal investigation through the burning of Glover's body in a 2000 Chevy Malibu. He faces a maximum of 60 years in prison. Former NOPD Lt. Robert Italiano and NOPD Lt. Travis McCabe are charged with obstructing justice and lying to the FBI. McCabe is also charged with lying to a federal grand jury. Italiano faces up to 25 years in prison, while McCabe faces up to 30 years in prison. The 11-count indictment accused officers of shooting Glover as well as physically attacking his brother and one of his neighbors. The indictment also accused officers of attempting to conceal their actions, through actions such as torching Glover's corpse. Glover's controversial death has been described as an example of frequent police misconduct
in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
by the news agencies ProPublica
and PBS Frontline.
sentenced David Warren to 25 years and 9 months in federal prison on a federal civil rights violation of committing manslaughter with a firearm. Judge Africk sentenced Greg MacRae to 17 years and 3 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release on obstruction of justice and another civil rights charge. "Henry Glover was not at the strip mall to commit suicide. He was there to retrieve some baby clothing. You killed a man. Despite your tendentious arguments to the contrary, it was no mistake," Africk told Warren.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
resident of New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Henry Glover, whose charred body was found in a destroyed Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet Malibu
Malibus and all other Chevelles were completely restyled for 1968 with semi-fastback rooflines on two-door hardtops and wheelbases split to on two-door models and 118 for four-door sedans and station wagons. Engine offerings included a new V8 rated at that replaced the V8 that had served as the...
on September 2, 2005, parked on a Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
. Five current and former officers of the New Orleans Police Department
New Orleans Police Department
The New Orleans Police Department has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, while the city is divided into eight police districts....
(NOPD) have been charged with Glover's death. First to be charged was former NOPD police officer David Warren, a rookie at the time, who was convicted and sentenced to 25 years and 9 months in prison for shooting and killing Glover. Former NOPD police officer Greg McRae was convicted of obstructing justice and other charges in the burning of Glover's body and was sentenced to 17 years and 3 months in prison. NOPD Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann is charged with assaulting civilians who came to Glover's aid, as well as obstructing a federal investigation through the burning of Glover's body in a 2000 Chevy Malibu. He faces a maximum of 60 years in prison. Former NOPD Lt. Robert Italiano and NOPD Lt. Travis McCabe are charged with obstructing justice and lying to the FBI. McCabe is also charged with lying to a federal grand jury. Italiano faces up to 25 years in prison, while McCabe faces up to 30 years in prison. The 11-count indictment accused officers of shooting Glover as well as physically attacking his brother and one of his neighbors. The indictment also accused officers of attempting to conceal their actions, through actions such as torching Glover's corpse. Glover's controversial death has been described as an example of frequent police misconduct
Police misconduct
Police misconduct refers to inappropriate actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Police misconduct can lead to a miscarriage of justice and sometimes involves discrimination...
in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
by the news agencies ProPublica
ProPublica
ProPublica is a non-profit corporation based in New York City. It describes itself as an independent non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. In 2010 it became the first online news source to win a Pulitzer Prize, for a piece written by one of its...
and PBS Frontline.
Henry Glover
Henry Glover was a 31-year-old African-American resident of the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, located on the western bank of the Mississippi. He weathered Katrina in New Orleans along with his mother, brother, and sister. Henry was last seen uninjured on September 2, four days after the storm, by his sister.Chain of events
The prosecutors have alleged:- NOPD officer David Warren shot Glover in the chest with a .223 rifle near an Algiers strip mall.
- Glover's brother, Edward King, and sister, Patrice Glover, came to Glover's aid.
- A neighbor of Glover named William Tanner drove Glover and his brother to seek medical attention at a nearby school, Habans Elementary School, which had been commandeered by a SWAT team of officers. Several SWAT officers testified in trial that Tanner actually fled from a marked police car near the school. It was only after several other police cars joined in the chase that he stopped on the Mercedes Street side of the school. Neither of the two men knew how Glover had been injured.
- SWAT officers at the school immediately placed Tanner and King into handcuffs, and then allegedly beat them. The jury acquitted the officers on this charge. Testimony in trial also alleged that an African American officer also struck one of the detained men, but little effort was put into finding that officer. While it was alleged by William Tanner in numerous media interviews that the SWAT officers let Henry Glover bleed to death in the car, the trial testimony of Lt. Scheuermann proved that in fact he had checked Glover's body for any signs of life and in fact he was already deceased. This proof was in the form of photographs provided to the defense in discovery.
- Glover died from his wounds. NOPD officer Greg McRae set fire to Glover’s body as it sat inside Tanner’s 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. The car was left parked on a Mississippi River levee down the street from a NOPD office.
- Istvan Balogh, a former law enforcement officer who had come in from out of state, discovered Glover's corpse on September 9. He admitted in trial that he video taped the burned car with Glover's remains and has since sold copies of the video tape.
Aftermath
On March 31, 2011, Judge Lance M. AfrickLance M. Africk
Lance Michael Africk is a United States federal judge.Africk was born in New York, New York. He received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973, and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1975. From 1975 to 1976, he was a law clerk to James...
sentenced David Warren to 25 years and 9 months in federal prison on a federal civil rights violation of committing manslaughter with a firearm. Judge Africk sentenced Greg MacRae to 17 years and 3 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release on obstruction of justice and another civil rights charge. "Henry Glover was not at the strip mall to commit suicide. He was there to retrieve some baby clothing. You killed a man. Despite your tendentious arguments to the contrary, it was no mistake," Africk told Warren.
See also
- Danziger Bridge ShootingsDanziger Bridge ShootingsThe Danziger Bridge shootings were a police shooting that took place on September 4, 2005, at the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana. Six days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the city's police department killed two people: seventeen-year-old James Brissette and forty-year-old...
- New Orleans Police DepartmentNew Orleans Police DepartmentThe New Orleans Police Department has primary responsibility for law enforcement in New Orleans, Louisiana. The department's jurisdiction covers all of Orleans Parish, while the city is divided into eight police districts....
- List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States