Danziger Bridge Officer Detained, Two Plead Not Guilty

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The former officer appearing without an attorney didn't enter a plea and is being held in federal custody. He's accused of fatally shooting a mentally disabled man in the back and a teenager. The two other officers pleaded innocent to covering up what happened. Police had been responding to reports of officers under fire at the Danziger Bridge when the city was still crippled by the chaos after Katrina. Several others have pleaded guilty to participating in an elaborate cover-up. Three more officers are behind bars awaiting trial. City officials are cooperating with federal authorities in several investigations into the police department. U-S Attorney General Eric Holder says the case is a top priority at the Justice Department.
For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.