Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jan 2001
Source: Alameda Times-Star (CA)
Copyright: 2001 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
Contact:  P.O. Box 28884 ,Oakland, CA 94612
Fax: (510) 208-6477
Website: http://www.timesstar.com/
Author: Jason Bono, Staff Writer
Note: Staff writer Glenn Chapman contributed to this report.
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n073/a03.html

POLICE SAY COPS ACTED PROPERLY

Hold-Fire Warning Apparently Didn't Register With Rookies

OAKLAND -- The two rookie cops who mistakenly shot and killed an undercover 
colleague acted in accordance with their training, police said Monday.

Details of Thursday's tragic incident were released after interviews with 
the two traumatized men over the weekend. One dramatic revelation included 
a hold-fire warning given to the officers which was unable to break their 
deadly concentration.

Six-year veteran Tory Nash said "Hey, it's just Willie" when he saw Tim 
Scarrott, 23, and Andrew Koponen, 29, pointing their black, .40 caliber 
Glocks at William Wilkins.

Intense focus may have kept the officers from heeding the warning, said 
Lieutenant Paul Berlin, commander of Oakland Police Department's homicide 
unit. But he added that given the limited information they had, Scarrott 
and Koponen acted appropriately when they fired on Wilkins who they thought 
was threatening the life of Demetrius Phillips.

The officers, who are partners, responded to a radio call by Wilkins who 
had sighted a stolen vehicle. They did not know Wilkins, who was a county 
narcotics task force agent, who at the time was assisting in an Oakland 
Police surveillance operation of which they were unaware.

"Wilkins didn't have the time to get on the radio and do those things he 
should have done," said Berlin.

Wilkins was able to catch the suspect driver, Phillips, in a driveway in 
the 9100 block of B Street just as the uniformed officers arrived.

Scarrott and Koponen saw what they believed was a fight unrelated to the 
theft. Then, Wilkins' blue-chrome pistol caught their attention, Berlin said.

Black guns are standard issue for Oakland police, so the glinty weapon may 
have misled the officers. Darkness further obscured his identity by hiding 
the police badge and name tag that hung from a chain around Wilkins' neck.

"There's no direct policy for IDing in the field," said Berlin, because 
undercover agents need that flexibility.

When undercover officers are making arrests, they should display a badge 
and ID, but sometimes you're not given the opportunity, said Officer Dave 
Downing of the department's Training Division. He posed a hypothetical 
question: "What's more important to put in my hand, my badge or my gun?"

Police said Phillips heard both officers command Wilkins, from 15 to 20 
feet away, to drop the gun, but Wilkins looked at them briefly and stepped 
toward Phillips without identifying himself further.

He may have expected the policemen to recognize him, Berlin said. At that 
moment, Nash, was about 50 feet away, moving in from the perimeter. He 
recognized Wilkins, and said, "Hey, it's just Willie."

His words did not register with the officers, who then fired 11 rounds. At 
least two slugs entered Wilkins' abdomen and he was pronounced dead at 2:20 
a.m., Friday morning at Highland Hospital.

Berlin said the mistake did not arise from inexperience as police officers, 
but he noted veterans would have been more likely to recognize Wilkins.

The accident is a reflection of the department right now because the force 
is so young, he said. "Seven years ago, everyone knew who everyone was." He 
estimated the average patrol officer is in his or her mid-20s, with 2 to 3 
years of experience," he said.

Investigators will conclude their inquiry in the next few weeks before 
submitting the case to the district attorney for review.

A public viewing of Wilkins is scheduled for Wednesday 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 
at the Chapel of Chimes, 32992 Mission Blvd., Hayward. Funeral services 
start at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at All Saints Church, 22824 Second St., 
Hayward, immediately followed by a procession back to the chapel.

A trust fund has been set up for Officer Wilkins' family. Checks should be 
sent to the William Wilkins Jr. Trust Fund, c/o Oakland Police Officers 
Association, 717 Washington St., Oakland 94607. Account No. 124009606, Bank 
of the West, or call (510) 834-9670.

Staff writer Glenn Chapman contributed to this report.
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