Pubdate: Sat, 15 Feb 2003
Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Copyright: 2003 San Antonio Express-News
Contact:  http://www.mysanantonio.com/expressnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/384

SAPD ROLE CRITICAL IN DEA SHOOTING

When a 14-year-old girl is shot in the head and killed in the dark of night 
by Drug
Enforcement Administration agents, emotions in the community understandably 
run high.

Local passions, both for and against the agents, are thus inflamed by the 
recent death of
Ashley Villarreal.

The only possible reasonable response is a thorough, systematic look at 
what went wrong.

DEA agents say they were looking for Ashley's father, Joey, a cocaine 
trafficking suspect, and
believed he might be trying to flee his West Side home when they fired two 
shots into the car
driven by his daughter, Ashley.

The Villarreal family and many leaders in the Mexican American community, 
who have a long
history of suspicion about police in their neighborhoods, want to know why 
they opened fire
without determining who was in the car.

The DEA is conducting its own investigation in the case - as it must.

However, because the agency can't be expected to investigate itself 
objectively, the burden
is on the San Antonio Police Department to conduct a thorough and 
independent probe of what
happened during this failed federal narcotics action.

Some people have called for the Texas Rangers or the U.S. Justice 
Department to step into the
case. The Rangers typically enter investigations if incidents occur in 
smaller municipalities.

In this case, the SAPD is better equipped to conduct the probe.

The public will hold the Police Department accountable for the fairness and 
accuracy of its report.

The Justice Department may have a role in the future.

If it is determined that the federal agents who conducted the stakeout at 
the Villarreal home
committed any crimes in the course of their professional duties, they may 
have immunity from
state prosecution. In that event, the Justice Department would handle the 
cases.

For now, the public's focus should be on the SAPD's investigation.

Among the issues to be determined by local investigators: Why did DEA 
agents not have a warrant
for Joey Villarreal's arrest? What exactly happened at the scene? Why did 
Ashley drive the family's
car without headlights in the direction of DEA agents?

Unanswered questions cannot be allowed to fester in the community.
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MAP posted-by: Derek