Was unarmed woman trapped when cops shot her dead?

(Photo provided by the Justice Department)

(This is Part III of a three-part series revealing new evidence WND has obtained from the Department of Justice in the investigation into the shooting death of Miriam Carey by federal officers. Read Part I, “Secret Service covered toddler in glass and blood” and Part II, “Evidence: Feds fired wildly at unarmed mom.”)

WASHINGTON – It’s unthinkable.

But evidence uncovered by WND demands that the question be asked.

Was an unarmed mother trapped, unable to escape and posing no threat, when federal officers unleashed a deadly barrage of 18 bullets – striking her dead in front of her toddler?

It’s horrible to ponder.

But consider the evidence in the Miriam Carey case in light of additional information WND has obtained.

What was already known

• At 2:13 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2013, with her 14-month-old daughter strapped into the backseat of her black Nissan Infiniti, the unarmed, suburban mother from Stamford, Connecticut, drove up to a White House guard post at 15th and E streets NW. Apparently she did so by mistake because, upon entering, the first thing she did was make a U-turn and try to leave.

• For some still-unexplained reason, Secret Service agents tried to stop her from leaving.

• And, for still-unexplained reasons, once Carey departed the guard post, federal officers pursued her.

• Carey did not attempt to flee, according to the police report. A witness said she believed Carey’s first action upon leaving the White House guard post was to stop at a red light. The witness also said Carey departed the White House “at an average speed.”

• And, despite the Justice Department’s assertion that “Ms. Carey then drove down Pennsylvania Avenue at speeds estimated at 40-80 mph,” the Washington Post calculated her average speed from the White House to Garfield Circle was 19.5 mph, given it took her four minutes to cover the 1.3 miles.

• Nonetheless, officers chased Carey and shot her dead in the 100 block of Constitution Avenue, near a three-way intersection with Maryland Avenue and 2nd Street NE.

WND has published details corroborating that account in dozens of investigative articles over the past two years.

The government watchdog group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit on behalf of WND to force the Department of Justice, or DOJ, to comply with a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requesting more information in the Carey case investigation.

WND is now revealing information the DOJ was compelled to provide.

The picture that emerges stands in stark contrast to the official account given by the DOJ on July 10, 2014, when it announced no officers would be charged in the deadly shooting.

DOJ official version of the shooting

“After ignoring multiple commands given by officers who were running towards her vehicle with guns drawn, Ms. Carey revved her engine and then reversed her vehicle and drove directly at a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was approaching Ms. Carey’s vehicle from behind. As the U.S. Capitol Police officer ran towards the median to avoid being struck by Ms. Carey’s vehicle, he and another officer from the U.S. Secret Service (who also had fired shots at the Garfield Circle location) started firing. The two officers fired nine rounds each. Twenty seconds after Ms. Carey had arrived at the 2nd and Maryland location, her vehicle crashed into the kiosk and came to rest. Ms. Carey was unconscious at this time, and did not get out of the vehicle. No additional rounds were fired by officers after the crash.”

Key points:

• Carey “revved her engine and then reversed her vehicle and drove directly at a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was approaching Ms. Carey’s vehicle from behind.”

• Officers fired before the car hit the kiosk.

Witnesses

Documents provided to WND by the DOJ include accounts by civilian witnesses to the deadly shooting on Constitution Avenue.

Witness 1

A woman said she was working when she heard a single gunshot then looked out the window.

“(Redacted) stated that she then heard two (2) to three (3) additional gunshots and observed a black vehicle that was facing west on Maryland Avenue, Northeast, but was in reverse and was backing east on Maryland Avenue, Northeast, until it struck a police booth. (Redacted) reported that after the black vehicle struck the police booth, several officers surrounded the vehicle. (Redacted) advise (sic) that as the black vehicle was backing up and before it struck the police booth, there were no police officers near the vehicle.”

• This witness did not say the car was driving toward an officer.

• She did not say officers were near the car when she heard shots.

She did say the car traveled in reverse but she contradicted the DOJ account that Carey “reversed her vehicle and drove directly at a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was approaching Ms. Carey’s vehicle from behind” because she said “that as the black vehicle was backing up and before it struck the police booth, there were no police officers near the vehicle.”

In other words, she does not support the official contention that Carey was moving toward and threatening an officer.

Witness 2

A cab driver traveling west on Constitution Avenue said he saw police cars and heard sirens.

“(Redacted) states he noticed the car trying to avoid the barracks and go up on the median curb. The car continued and he then heard about two to three shots. He saw an officer with his gun drawn but couldn’t say whether he saw the officer shot (sic.) He duck (sic) and when he held his head up the black was surrounded by officer (sic).”

• He did not say the car was in reverse.

• He did not say the car drove toward an officer.

• He did not say officers were near the car until after shots were fired.

• He did not actually say if the car was in motion when shots were fired.

Witness 3

She heard sirens and a “loud boom, like a collision.”

“(Redacted) observed police cars surrounding a vehicle and gunfire. (Redacted) then saw officers running and police vehicles running. (Redacted) thought she saw an officer pull a child from the vehicle. (Redacted) saw officers with their weapons drawn and officers discharge their weapons at the vehicle.”

This same witness told CNN she saw the black car hit what appeared to be a trash can and a police car, “which turned the car sideways. There’s a little window booth where the policemen stand, and the security guards, who guard us every day on the corner, and at that time her car was surrounded by police and a lot of armed men and that’s where the gunfire began.”

• She did not say the car was in reverse.

• She did not say the car drove toward an officer.

• She did not say the car was moving when officers fired.

Witness 4

This witness also did not hear gunshots until after police cars surrounded Carey’s car.

“The black vehicle drove over the median and began traveling west bound. One of the police vehicles pulled approximately ten feet behind the black vehicle. Another of the police cars pulled approximately ten feet in front of the black vehicle. At this time all of the police officers exited their vehicles and began issuing commands to stop and to exit the vehicle. The black vehicle continued to move forwards and back ward (sic) as the officers gave the commands. Detective (redacted) asked Mrs. (redacted) if she had any difficulty hearing the officers and she stated that she did not. Those commands were given verbally and over a loud speaker (sic). The driver’s side window was down a couple of inches according to Mrs. (redacted). It is Mrs. (redacted) belief that the officers were standing a couple of feet away from the black vehicle at this time.

“Mrs. (redacted) states that she heard two gun shots that she believed came from the black vehicle. After the first two gunshots Ms. (sic) (redacted) heard numerous additional gunshots. At this time everything became quiet.”

• She did say police cars were positioned in front of, and behind, Carey’s car.

• She did not say the car drove toward an officer.

• She did not say the car was in reverse.

• She said the car continued to move forward and backward.

The description of Carey’s car moving back and forth on the median may indicate the vehicle was stuck.

Additionally, her description of the positions of the police cars indicate Carey was boxed-in with no means of escape – before shots were fired.

A fifth witness?

There is vivid description of the shooting by someone who apparently was close enough to see it very clearly.

But, perhaps curiously, his account was not included in the witness statements provided to WND by the DOJ.

This is what the Washington Post reported on Oct. 3,2013, the day of the shooting:

46-year-old tourist Edmund Ofori-Attah was walking toward the Hart building to ask if it was open for tours. With most of Washington’s top attractions shut down, touring an office building sounded better than nothing.

Then he saw a black car whiz past. It abruptly turned left, as if to make a U-turn, and lodged itself on a grassy divide.

“That’s where it got pinned,” he said. “At that point, we heard five to six rounds of gunfire and my wife and I dropped to the ground. We were hoping not to get in the way of a stray bullet — we just lay down as low as possible. We even smelled the gunpowder in the air.”

The Post said the car was lodged. The witness said the car was pinned.

Pinned.

As in, unable to move.

Stuck.

Only then did he hear gunshots.

After the car was immobilized.

With an unarmed woman and her child inside.

Summary

Contrary to the DOJ versions of events:

• Not one of the five witnesses said Carey’s car was driving toward an officer.

• Four of the five witnesses did not say her car was traveling in reverse.

• Three did not say if her car was even in motion when shots were fired.

• Three did not say an officer was near the car when shots were fired.

One witness said the car was moving back and forth, suggesting it was stuck.

Another witness said it was stuck.

Then officers fired a barrage of bullets and killed the unarmed mother.

Follow Garth Kant @DCgarth

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