Officer James Turney's hearing to appeal his 10-month suspension
was postponed Wednesday so city attorneys can have more time to prepare
their case. The hearing, which was to begin later this month, was
pushed back to Oct. 19 - a move that drew objections from his
attorneys, Doug Jewell and Jeff Clayton. In April, Manager of Safety Al
LaCabe suspended Turney without pay for 10 months in the fatal shooting
of Paul Childs, a developmentally disabled teen. On July 5, 2003,
Turney responded to Childs' home after a report that the teen was
threatening his mother with a kitchen knife. Following the announcement
of Turney's suspension, Jewell said his client would appeal the
suspension on the grounds that it was excessive and unjustified. During
Wednesday's meeting about the case, Assistant City Attorney Karla
Pierce requested a continuance, citing more than 5,000 documents and 40
videotapes she needed to review. [more ]
According to Paul Childs' mother, Helen Childs, she had
been joking around with the teen, when he came out of the kitchen
clutching a knife. A family friend in the house called Denver police
saying Childs was "threatening his mother". Helen said she was not
concerned when police arrived around 1:00 p.m., so she went out to
greet them and to explain what had been going on. She said her son,
described as having developmental disabilities, learning disabilities
and epilepsy, had a good relationship with police who had brought him
home several times when he had wandered off. This time, however, police
pulled Helen away when they saw the teenager standing in the doorway
clutching the knife in front of his face. Officers ordered Childs to
drop the knife. When he didn't follow the order, they opened fire. Helen Childs said "I
told them, 'He's a special-needs child. Just talk to him and get the
knife away."' [more ] and [more ]
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