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Denver Post
Grief doubled for kin of teen shot last year
Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - The mother and sister of Gregory Smith, the 18-year-old deaf man killed by Denver police last year, went to the house of the Childs family Tuesday to grieve over two deaths they say have disturbing similarities.
"I feel hate. Neglect. Frustration," said Smith's mother, Regina Keith, who says her son's death has still not been resolved to her satisfaction. Gregory Smith was killed by Sgt. Robert Silvas and officer James Turney as Smith wielded a knife in his northeast Denver home in late January 2002. In October 2002, District Attorney John Ritter cleared Silvas and Turney of any criminal charges related to the case. Police at the time said they ordered Smith to drop the weapon. Ritter's decision to clear them cited that assertion and noted that officers fired when Smith got within 5 feet of them. Family members present during the killing dispute that version of events and argue that Smith may not have heard even if police commands were given. Turney has been identified as the officer who killed Paul Childs, a mentally disabled 15-year-old, on Saturday. "It's like reading the same story all over again," said Joann Smith, who watched her brother being shot. Gregory Smith, known affectionately as "Tank" to his family, was upset with his mother the day he was killed. When he broke the window of her Mercedes, she called the police. Family members say Smith, who was holding a knife at the bottom of the basement stairs when he was shot, was no threat to officers at the top of the stairs. The family of Gregory Smith said it does not believe race was a factor in either killing. "It's not about race. It's about training," said Joann Smith. She said 911 operators should be trained to ask for more information about the problem, including whether any of the people involved have disabilities. "They ask what color pants you're wearing, but not if you're deaf or retarded," she said. |