Death of Victoria Snelgrove

Death of Victoria Snelgrove
Riot Police near Fenway prior to the shooting

Victoria Snelgrove (October 29, 1982 – October 21, 2004) was a junior majoring in journalism at Emerson College. She had transferred from Fitchburg State College in the fall of 2003. She was hit with a crowd-control round and mortally wounded by Boston police officer Rochefort Milien on October 21, 2004 when she was eight days away from her 22nd birthday. This was about 90 minutes after the Boston Red Sox's victory over the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

The incident occurred near Fenway Park when an FN 303 blunt trauma / pepper spray projectile hit her eye, causing her to bleed excessively. Ambulances were blocked by the excessive crowds which still refused to clear the area, preventing prompt medical attention from arriving from the dense medical area only a half-mile away.[1]

Snelgrove died at 12:50 p.m. EDT at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, about 12 hours after being shot. According to the autopsy, the pellet opened a three-quarter-inch hole in the bone behind the eye, broke into nine pieces, and damaged the right side of her brain. A video of the scene shows the crowd dispersing once they realized the severity of her injury as she lay face-down on the ground bleeding.

Boston Police Department Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole placed Rochefort Milien, the police officer who fired the shot that killed Victoria Snelgrove, on paid leave.[1] O'Toole later attended the hour-long funeral on October 26, 2004 at St. John's Catholic church in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts along with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Gov. Mitt Romney.[2][3]

Contents

The investigation and aftermath

The investigation into Snelgrove's death was led by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern best known for prosecuting mob figures, including fugitive Winter Hill Gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger. O'Toole accepted the department's responsibility, yet still blamed the "punks" who turned the event into a near-riot as the real cause.[4] After the police investigation, Officer Rochefort Milien was identified as the person who actually fired the shot that killed Snelgrove. On May 2, 2005, the city of Boston announced a $5.1 million settlement for her family's lawsuit.

On September 12, 2005, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced that he would not prosecute any of the officers involved. [2]

On September 16, 2005, O'Toole demoted the police superintendent who was in charge the night of the shooting to captain and suspended two officers. She also issued written reprimands to two other officers. Milien agreed to accept a 45-day suspension without pay. The deputy superintendent outside Fenway Park at the time of the incident was also criticized for poor decisions that led to Snelgrove's death, but had already retired.

The weapon that killed Snelgrove was manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. Because of this incident, several police forces, such as the Seattle Police Department, discontinued use of this weapon.

After her death, Boston Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon said he would have traded back Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS to have her back.[5]

Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan dedicated their book, Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle The Historic 2004 Season to Snelgrove. The dedication reads simply : "For Victoria Snelgrove / Red Sox fan."

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.mass.gov/da/suffolk/docs/091205.html Retrieved October 26, 2005
  2. ^ Commission Investigating the Death of Victoria Snelgrove, page 14. Retrieved April 25, 2009

References

  1. ^ Associated Press (November 13, 2004). "Red Sox Fan Killed by Stray Shot, Police Say". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/print/2004/nov/13/nation/na-fan13. 
  2. ^ Lavoie, Denise (October 26, 2004). "Hundreds mourn student killed by police during Red Sox celebrations". Associated Press. 
  3. ^ MacQuarrie, Brian; Polovina, Julie (October 27, 2004). "A Precious Life, Lost Senselessly, is Mourned". Boston Globe: p. B4. 
  4. ^ Farragher, Thomas (October 22, 2004). "O'Toole accepts responsibility but condemns acts of 'punks'". boston.com. Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/22/postgame_police_projectile_kills_an_emerson_student/. Retrieved February 20,2011. 
  5. ^ Hohler, Bob (October 23, 2004). "Pesky Happy to be Back". Boston Globe: p. E5. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Victoria Snelgrove — (October 29, 1982 ndash; October 21, 2004) was a student who was accidentally killed by Boston police about an hour and a half after the Boston Red Sox s victory over the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Snelgrove …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 American League Championship Series — Team (Wins) Manager …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 World Series — Team (Wins) Manager Season …   Wikipedia

  • Less-lethal weapon — Less lethal weapons, less than lethal weapons, non lethal weapons, non deadly weapons, or, more recently, compliance weapons are weapons intended to be unlikely to kill or to cause great bodily injury to a living target. In the past, police (or… …   Wikipedia

  • Joe Cronin — Shortstop / Manager Born: October 12, 1906(1906 10 12) San Franci …   Wikipedia

  • Nomar Garciaparra — Garciaparra with the Red Sox in 2002. Shortstop Born: July 23, 1973 (1973 07 23) (age 38) …   Wikipedia

  • Riot gun — In the USA riot gun may also mean a riot shotgun. A US model M 32 6 shot 40 mm launcher, which can be used as a grenade launcher or riot gun depending on the ammunition used …   Wikipedia

  • Deaths in October 2004 — Contents 1 31 2 30 3 29 4 28 …   Wikipedia

  • Boston Red Sox — Red Sox redirects here. For other uses, see Red Sox (disambiguation). Boston Red Sox 2012 Boston Red Sox se …   Wikipedia

  • Curse of the Bambino — Babe Ruth The Bambino in his earlier days as a pitcher for the Red Sox The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86 year period from 1918 to… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”