Feds: Polk County Officers acted properly in shooting Black Man 68 times

AP The Department of Justice says SWAT team officers didn't use excessive force when they shot the suspected killer of a sheriff's deputy 68 times during a manhunt near Lakeland in 2006. Angilo Freeland was the man believed to have fatally shot a Polk County deputy and his police dog. Nine officers fired on the 27-year-old after finding him hiding in the woods the next morning. They say a sudden movement by the suspect caused them to fire. The Justice Department sent a letter to Sheriff Grady Judd this week saying an investigation had concluded that Freeland's civil rights had not been violated. Don Brown, president of the local NAACP chapter, says he still believes the number of shots fired at Freeland was excessive. He called it "profoundly disturbing." Angilo Freeland was pulled over for speeding in Lakeland, Florida. After giving the officer a fake ID, and the officer called for backup, Freeland (who was armed with a handgun) ran into the woods and hid. A K9 unit responded and the two officers and the dog began searching for Freeland. Freeland shot the K9 officer 9 times, including 1 close-range shot into the officer's head and a second shot into the offier's head with the muzzle of the pistol pressed against the victim's skull. Freeland also killed the dog, and then shot the other officer when he came to assist his fellow-officer. Freeland took the dead officer's weapon and ammunition and hid in the woods again. Law enforcement officers searched the woods for Freeland, who came out of the woods once to shoot at the searchers. He was finally cornered by SWAT officers on September 29th 2006. The SWAT team members say that when Freeland pointed his gun at them, they opened fire, shooting Freeland 68 times out of their 110 rounds fired.His family claims Angilo was not involved in any illicit activity, and were enraged when the local Sheriff told reporters that Freeland was shot 68 times because "that's all the bullets they had"