NO EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL

A Connecticut cop was treated differently for accidentally shooting himself in a public restaurant compared to a civilian who accidentally discharged a gun while cleaning it inside his home

While the cop was not arrested at the time, he has now been charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor. The civilian, on the other hand, was arrested at the time and charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, second-degree reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in the third degree. The cop was charged only because demonstrations were held in front of police headquarters protesting that he was not arrested and charged for discharging a gun inside the restaurant.

There is no equal justice here. The cop endangered the lives of his fellow officers and other patrons at the restaurant. The civilian endangered only himself and possibly other members of his household. Yet the cops arrested the civilian and piled it on him with every charge they could think of.

BRIDGEPORT COP CHARGED WITH MISHANDLING A GUN
By Daniel Tepfer

Connecticut Post
February 11, 2014

BRIDGEPORT – Juan Santiago, a 29-year veteran of the city police department, was arrested Monday morning by state police for a Dec. 17 incident in which he accidentally shot himself in a crowded bagel restaurant.

Santiago, 56, surrendered at Troop I in Bethany after being notified there was a warrant for his arrest, State Police said.

He was charged with one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm and released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Golden Hill Street on Feb. 18, a state police spokesman said.

Santiago was originally scheduled for a Feb. 17 court arraignment, but that is President’s Day and the courts are closed. Santiago’s lawyer, John R. Gulash, declined comment.

Lt. J. Paul Vance, the state police spokesman, said in a press release that “after an extensive investigation it was determined that the accused mishandled the firearm, which resulted in his own leg injury.”

Santiago had been treated for a minor leg injury from the gunshot wound and released from St. Vincent’s Medical Center a few hours after the incident.

The lack of an arrest in Santiago’s case had drawn two protest rallies to the front of the Bridgeport Police Department, where attendees claimed that the veteran officer was being treated differently because he is a cop.

At the most recent event, on Feb. 4, the protesters demanded to know why Santiago hadn’t be charged while a man who accidentally fired his gun in his home on Jan. 28 had been arrested almost immediately.

The suspect in the January case, 23-year-old Kenneth Sullivan, of Midland Street was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, second-degree reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in the third degree. He was released after posting $1,500 bond.

On Tuesday, organizers of the protests said they thought Santiago should’ve faced more charges.

“The officer who was in a public place was probably more reckless and probably endangered more people,” said Palin Smith, who wondered why the officer hadn’t been hit with the same charges as Sullivan.

“It’s still not exactly fair and equal application, but at least it’s something, finally,” Jonathan Hardy, a firearms instructor from Meriden.