Pubdate: Sun, 02 Mar 2008
Source: Blade, The (Toledo, OH)
Copyright: 2008 The Blade
Contact:  http://www.toledoblade.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/48
Author: Bridget Tharp
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

NAACP WANTS POLICE INDICTED FOR FATAL LIMA RAID

Officers Asked To Come Forward

LIMA, Ohio - The Lima chapter of the NAACP yesterday  called for the 
indictment of all officers involved in  the Jan. 4 raid of a biracial 
woman's home during which  she was shot and killed by a city police officer.

"If I commit a crime, and five of my friends are with  me, I'm 
getting charged, they're getting charged,  bottom line," said Lima's 
NAACP President Jason  Upthegrove.

Tarika Wilson, 26, was shot twice, and her 1-year-old  son was 
wounded when the Lima Police Department's SWAT  team raided her Third 
Street home, using a "no-knock"  search warrant.

Her boyfriend, Anthony Terry, was arrested on drug  charges during 
the raid, but no public explanation has  been given describing how 
Sgt. Joseph Chavalia came to  fire his gun.

On Friday, state investigators said they had wrapped up  their probe 
of the incident and had presented a special  prosecutor with their 
report and evidence.

Mr. Upthegrove said that he hopes that the officers  involved will 
come forward publicly with information  about what happened when Ms. 
Wilson was killed, and  that such information ultimately will lead to 
indictments of those involved.

"This is an opportunity for them to show some courage,"  he said.

Sgt. Andy Green of the Lima police said that the  department will 
have no comment regarding the shooting  until the investigation is 
completed and the results  made public.

Mr. Upthegrove said his organization has been unable to  obtain the 
high-risk search warrant that police used to  make the raid.

He said that the judge who signed the warrant should  not preside 
over any trial relating to the case.

Although it was the NAACP making the request for more  information 
surrounding the shooting, Mr. Upthegrove  said yesterday's event was 
not about race.

"This has nothing to do with race. It wouldn't matter  to me who she 
was, it wouldn't matter to me where she  came from, who her parents 
were," he said. "It's a  woman gunned down in her home."
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