#General John Suthers

[whatsonmedia]

Colorado shooter faces murder; is stopped by 'Brave'

Two "brave" people inside the club managed to stop the shooter who opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado. The incident killed at least five people, authorities said at a press conference on Sunday. They identify the attacker as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich and claimed that he had fired a rifle inside the club. The revelers were allegedly commemorating the Transgender Day of Remembrance. And it honors Tran’s people who have been the victims of violent attacks. In the event just before midnight, 18 individuals were hurt, according to police. They also stated that an indeterminate number of the injured were still in severe condition. The alleged shooter is being held without bond in a hospital after being overpowered by clubbers. He will appear in court for the first time soon, according to El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen. The shooter, Aldrich is anticipated to face first-degree murder charges. And "if the evidence supports bias-motivated offenses, we will charge that as well," Allen added. Official charges have not yet been brought against Aldrich. Mayor praises the "two heroes" Mayor of Colorado Springs John Suthers commended "two heroes" who assisted in apprehending the shooter after he barged into the club and started shooting. According to The New York Times, the mayor claimed to have spoken with one of the guys, Richard Fierro, a US Army veteran with 15 years of service. Suthers added, "I have never met a person who has performed such heroic deeds and was so humble about it.” I was attempting to protect my family," he merely told me. Since a mass shooting in 2016 at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida that left 49 people dead, the attack was the worst on the LGBTQ community in the United States. Comments of LGBTQ advocacy groups on the incident An LGBTQ advocacy group, express their feeling says; GLAAD. Also emphasized that the incident occurred as antagonism toward the LGBTQ community in the United States. Moreover they says, it has increased and on the eve of the Transgender Day which remembers victims of transphobic violence. US President Joe Biden denounced the assault in a statement, along with violence against the LGBTQ community in general and transgender women of color in particular. "The injustices that fuel violence against LGBTQI+ persons must be eliminated. Hate must not be tolerated by us "said he. Read the full article

[mystlnewsonline]

Colorado News: DENVER, Jason R. Dunn Sworn In As United States Attorney

Colorado News: DENVER, Jason R. Dunn Sworn In As United States Attorney

DENVER, Co. – Jason R. Dunn was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado this morning. Chief United States District Court Judge Marcia S. Krieger administered the oath of office at the U.S. District Courthouse in Denver during a private ceremony witnessed by close family and senior staff. A formal investiture ceremony is being planned for a later date.

“It is an honor…

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: Blood Hook

Blood Hook has everything you'd expect from a largely-forgotten '80s slasher: a generic plot, campy characters, a synthesizer score, and a striking title with artwork to match. It's far too flawed to reach cult classic status, but it's a quirky romp with just the right amount of cheese. Its nearly-fatal flaw, however, is the run time. Its impossible to fathom why a low budget slasher from 1986 would clock in at 111 minutes.

Director Jim Mallon (who went on to serve as a director and producer for Mystery Science Theater 3000, including helming Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie) and writers Larry Edgerton and John Galligan admirably dedicate more than average time to the characters, which would otherwise be mere slasher fodder only present to increase the body count. While there are obvious benefits to that character development, the pacing greatly suffers.

The abundance of characters and accompanying subplots wouldn't be as detrimental to the final product if they were well-written, but the creative team struggles to make the characters act like humans. The hammy performances don't do them any favors either. It comes as no surprise to learn that most of the cast and crew, never worked before or after Blood Hook.

The film centers around Peter van Clease (Mark Jacobs). Upon turning 21, he has inherited a lake house from his grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared there 17 years earlier. Peter and a group of his college friends head to the rural Wisconsin town in which the house resides, where a big fishing competition is taking place. Peter is a musician, which adds an important plot point to the film that's too bizarre to get into here.

It doesn't take too long for people to start disappearing. Peter is the only one who takes notice, but there are no bodies to prove his theory. Like a redneck giallo, viewers only sees the killer's black rubber fishing gloves as the victims are hooked with a fishing lure and pulled away into the darkness. The blood is bright red, with little gore otherwise. The dead bodies, bloated by the water, that briefly appear later look like Halloween props (albeit cool ones).

Blood Hook was restored in 2K from the original Super 16mm camera negative in its uncut form for a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack via Vinegar Syndrome. The result, approved by cinematographer Marsha Kahm, is clean but appropriately grainy. Special features include video interviews with Mallon, actress Lisa Todd, and special effects artist Jim Suthers, and an audio interview with Kahm. They're all fairly substantial, with Mallon's being the most informative. His chat is dry, but he has plenty to say about the film. He laughs at the elaborate, 300-page original draft of the script, which had to be pared down to match the $200,000 budget. A still gallery and the trailer round out the extras.

Throughout the special features, several crew members mention how tongue-in-cheek the Blood Hook script was. Given Mallon's future work in the comedy field, it's surprising that much of the humor was lost in translation as he brought it to the screen. Fun as it may be, most of the laughs that remain intact seem to be unintentional. Slasher fans will enjoy seeing this regional slice of madness in high definition. I only wish Vinegar Syndrome had also included the 95-minute cut that original distributor Troma had released in earlier formats for easier digestion.

Blood Hook is available now on Blu-ray/DVD via Vinegar Syndrome.

[shanedakotamuir]

Officers shot and killed a black teen. They won’t be charged because of a “fleeing felons” law.

AP/Colorado Springs Police Department

A grand jury found the shooting death of De’Von Bailey was justified.

The Colorado Springs police officers who shot and killed a black 19-year-old will not face charges, a grand jury ruled Wednesday. The use of lethal force in the death of De’Von Bailey, which had sparked protests over what appeared to be another case of police brutality from white officers against a black teenager, was found to be justified.

On August 3, two officers shot and killed Bailey after they stopped him and another man on the street and questioned them about an alleged armed robbery. Body-cam footage recorded Bailey running away from officers during the stop, who then shot Bailey in the back three times. He later died in the hospital. Officers found a gun in his pants immediately after shooting him, though attorneys for Bailey’s family argued the footage showed he wasn’t a threat to the officers.

According to District Attorney Dan May, the grand jury found that Bailey’s fleeing justified the officers’ shooting, citing state laws that protect police who shoot fleeing suspects. However, these statues are controversial, because they conflict with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined such shootings to be unconstitutional.

In October, May announced that a grand jury would be investigating whether to charge the officers who shot Bailey. Prior to the grand jury, Bailey’s death was investigated by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, then the District Attorney’s Office for review. However, Bailey’s family has long called for an independent investigation of the teen’s death, arguing that the law enforcement entities were too close. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other elected officials echoed those calls.

“Our nation is grappling with difficult challenges concerning race and how we treat one another,” Polis said at a news conference at the time. “It is more important now at this moment in time that our law enforcement agencies go above and beyond to maintain public trust and confidence.”

The grand jury’s decision was a “no true bill,” which dismisses the defendants when a grand jury finds not enough evidence to charge them, according to a statement from Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski via CNN.

“This is the exact result that the process was designed to yield,” Mari Newman, an attorney representing the Bailey family, told Vox on Thursday. “When a tainted investigation is presented by a biased prosecutor, a grand jury can only come out one way. This is the very reason why we have called for an independent investigation and an independent prosecution from the beginning.”

Body cam footage of the police shooting outraged the community

Calls for justice rang louder after the release of graphic body-cam footage of Bailey’s death.

In August, 12 days after the shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department released video of the 911 call and footage. According to the transcript and recording of the call, a man told the dispatcher that he was walking down a street when he was approached by two men who demanded whatever was in his pockets and then hit him. He said one of the men pulled out a gun and then took his wallet. He then walked to a nearby office to call the police and report an armed robbery. He mentioned he had a history with them and knew who they were.

In the body-cam footage from the same day, an officer gets out of his car and stops two men, asking them about a possible assault. Bailey appears to take a water bottle out of his pocket, then is told by the officer to keep his hands out of his pockets. The officer then asks them their names and tells them to put their hands up. He said that they had a report about two people with similar descriptions having a gun on them, and that the officers were going to search them for a weapon.

As a second officer walks up behind Bailey, Bailey begins running away from the officers. They run after him and tell him to put his hands up before shooting him in the back multiple times. Bailey falls to the ground. After the officers cuff Bailey and call for medical assistance, the officers find a gun in his shorts and cut the shorts off him.

Following Bailey’s death, protesters in Colorado Springs came out to decry gun violence and police brutality, saying Bailey was murdered and criticizing the police department for putting the officers who shot Bailey back on active duty. At one protest two days after Bailey’s death, two white men were arrested after they approached protesters and drew their guns. In September, protesters interrupted Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers’s State of the City speech with chants of “justice for De’Von,” and were pushed out of the banquet hall, then later removed from outside of the room by the police.

Colorado’s “fleeing felons” statute runs up against a Supreme Court decision

Despite arguments from Bailey’s family’s attorneys that the teenager didn’t pose a threat to officers when he fled, Colorado law often protects police who shoot suspects who are running away, according to the Denver Post. The statue itself is often referred as “fleeing felons,” though Bailey was but a suspect.

”If the officer has a reasonable belief that the person has used a deadly weapon in a crime and is still armed, they can use deadly force to prevent that person from being a fleeing felon with that deadly weapon,” May, the district attorney, told BuzzFeed News.

Colorado law supports this, upholding that cops can use deadly force if they “reasonably believe that it is necessary” to defend themselves or someone else from imminent harm, but it also goes a step further to protect cops in shooting suspects who flee. Specifically, Colorado cops can use lethal force to “effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody, of a person whom he reasonably believes...has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving the use or threatened use of a deadly weapon.”

While supporters of the law argue that the statute prevents “fleeing felons” from getting away and perhaps further endangering their community, the Post points out that a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court case already determined the general shooting of fleeing suspects to be unconstitutional. In Tennessee v. Garner, the court ruled that law enforcement is in violation of a person’s constitutional rights when they shoot a fleeing suspect who isn’t an imminent threat.

According to the Post report from August, the Supreme Court ruling was cited by attorneys representing Bailey’s family as possibly applying to Bailey’s case. However, applying the ruling to Bailey’s case would have been difficult, according to Nancy Leong, a professor of the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

“How do we know that the officer willfully violated someone’s rights?” Leong told the Post in an email at the time. “It’s quite rare for officers to be convicted under this statute.”

Newman told the Post that Bailey’s family intends to pursue civil litigation.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/33RGWto

[timalexanderdollery]

Officers shot and killed a black teen. They won’t be charged because of a “fleeing felons” law.

AP/Colorado Springs Police Department

A grand jury found the shooting death of De’Von Bailey was justified.

The Colorado Springs police officers who shot and killed a black 19-year-old will not face charges, a grand jury ruled Wednesday. The use of lethal force in the death of De’Von Bailey, which had sparked protests over what appeared to be another case of police brutality from white officers against a black teenager, was found to be justified.

On August 3, two officers shot and killed Bailey after they stopped him and another man on the street and questioned them about an alleged armed robbery. Body-cam footage recorded Bailey running away from officers during the stop, who then shot Bailey in the back three times. He later died in the hospital. Officers found a gun in his pants immediately after shooting him, though attorneys for Bailey’s family argued the footage showed he wasn’t a threat to the officers.

According to District Attorney Dan May, the grand jury found that Bailey’s fleeing justified the officers’ shooting, citing state laws that protect police who shoot fleeing suspects. However, these statues are controversial, because they conflict with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined such shootings to be unconstitutional.

In October, May announced that a grand jury would be investigating whether to charge the officers who shot Bailey. Prior to the grand jury, Bailey’s death was investigated by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, then the District Attorney’s Office for review. However, Bailey’s family has long called for an independent investigation of the teen’s death, arguing that the law enforcement entities were too close. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other elected officials echoed those calls.

“Our nation is grappling with difficult challenges concerning race and how we treat one another,” Polis said at a news conference at the time. “It is more important now at this moment in time that our law enforcement agencies go above and beyond to maintain public trust and confidence.”

The grand jury’s decision was a “no true bill,” which dismisses the defendants when a grand jury finds not enough evidence to charge them, according to a statement from Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski via CNN.

“This is the exact result that the process was designed to yield,” Mari Newman, an attorney representing the Bailey family, told Vox on Thursday. “When a tainted investigation is presented by a biased prosecutor, a grand jury can only come out one way. This is the very reason why we have called for an independent investigation and an independent prosecution from the beginning.”

Body cam footage of the police shooting outraged the community

Calls for justice rang louder after the release of graphic body-cam footage of Bailey’s death.

In August, 12 days after the shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department released video of the 911 call and footage. According to the transcript and recording of the call, a man told the dispatcher that he was walking down a street when he was approached by two men who demanded whatever was in his pockets and then hit him. He said one of the men pulled out a gun and then took his wallet. He then walked to a nearby office to call the police and report an armed robbery. He mentioned he had a history with them and knew who they were.

In the body-cam footage from the same day, an officer gets out of his car and stops two men, asking them about a possible assault. Bailey appears to take a water bottle out of his pocket, then is told by the officer to keep his hands out of his pockets. The officer then asks them their names and tells them to put their hands up. He said that they had a report about two people with similar descriptions having a gun on them, and that the officers were going to search them for a weapon.

As a second officer walks up behind Bailey, Bailey begins running away from the officers. They run after him and tell him to put his hands up before shooting him in the back multiple times. Bailey falls to the ground. After the officers cuff Bailey and call for medical assistance, the officers find a gun in his shorts and cut the shorts off him.

Following Bailey’s death, protesters in Colorado Springs came out to decry gun violence and police brutality, saying Bailey was murdered and criticizing the police department for putting the officers who shot Bailey back on active duty. At one protest two days after Bailey’s death, two white men were arrested after they approached protesters and drew their guns. In September, protesters interrupted Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers’s State of the City speech with chants of “justice for De’Von,” and were pushed out of the banquet hall, then later removed from outside of the room by the police.

Colorado’s “fleeing felons” statute runs up against a Supreme Court decision

Despite arguments from Bailey’s family’s attorneys that the teenager didn’t pose a threat to officers when he fled, Colorado law often protects police who shoot suspects who are running away, according to the Denver Post. The statue itself is often referred as “fleeing felons,” though Bailey was but a suspect.

”If the officer has a reasonable belief that the person has used a deadly weapon in a crime and is still armed, they can use deadly force to prevent that person from being a fleeing felon with that deadly weapon,” May, the district attorney, told BuzzFeed News.

Colorado law supports this, upholding that cops can use deadly force if they “reasonably believe that it is necessary” to defend themselves or someone else from imminent harm, but it also goes a step further to protect cops in shooting suspects who flee. Specifically, Colorado cops can use lethal force to “effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody, of a person whom he reasonably believes...has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving the use or threatened use of a deadly weapon.”

While supporters of the law argue that the statute prevents “fleeing felons” from getting away and perhaps further endangering their community, the Post points out that a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court case already determined the general shooting of fleeing suspects to be unconstitutional. In Tennessee v. Garner, the court ruled that law enforcement is in violation of a person’s constitutional rights when they shoot a fleeing suspect who isn’t an imminent threat.

According to the Post report from August, the Supreme Court ruling was cited by attorneys representing Bailey’s family as possibly applying to Bailey’s case. However, applying the ruling to Bailey’s case would have been difficult, according to Nancy Leong, a professor of the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

“How do we know that the officer willfully violated someone’s rights?” Leong told the Post in an email at the time. “It’s quite rare for officers to be convicted under this statute.”

Newman told the Post that Bailey’s family intends to pursue civil litigation.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/33RGWto

[gracieyvonnehunter]

Officers shot and killed a black teen. They won’t be charged because of a “fleeing felons” law.

AP/Colorado Springs Police Department

A grand jury found the shooting death of De’Von Bailey was justified.

The Colorado Springs police officers who shot and killed a black 19-year-old will not face charges, a grand jury ruled Wednesday. The use of lethal force in the death of De’Von Bailey, which had sparked protests over what appeared to be another case of police brutality from white officers against a black teenager, was found to be justified.

On August 3, two officers shot and killed Bailey after they stopped him and another man on the street and questioned them about an alleged armed robbery. Body-cam footage recorded Bailey running away from officers during the stop, who then shot Bailey in the back three times. He later died in the hospital. Officers found a gun in his pants immediately after shooting him, though attorneys for Bailey’s family argued the footage showed he wasn’t a threat to the officers.

According to District Attorney Dan May, the grand jury found that Bailey’s fleeing justified the officers’ shooting, citing state laws that protect police who shoot fleeing suspects. However, these statues are controversial, because they conflict with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined such shootings to be unconstitutional.

In October, May announced that a grand jury would be investigating whether to charge the officers who shot Bailey. Prior to the grand jury, Bailey’s death was investigated by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, then the District Attorney’s Office for review. However, Bailey’s family has long called for an independent investigation of the teen’s death, arguing that the law enforcement entities were too close. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other elected officials echoed those calls.

“Our nation is grappling with difficult challenges concerning race and how we treat one another,” Polis said at a news conference at the time. “It is more important now at this moment in time that our law enforcement agencies go above and beyond to maintain public trust and confidence.”

The grand jury’s decision was a “no true bill,” which dismisses the defendants when a grand jury finds not enough evidence to charge them, according to a statement from Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski via CNN.

“This is the exact result that the process was designed to yield,” Mari Newman, an attorney representing the Bailey family, told Vox on Thursday. “When a tainted investigation is presented by a biased prosecutor, a grand jury can only come out one way. This is the very reason why we have called for an independent investigation and an independent prosecution from the beginning.”

Body cam footage of the police shooting outraged the community

Calls for justice rang louder after the release of graphic body-cam footage of Bailey’s death.

In August, 12 days after the shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department released video of the 911 call and footage. According to the transcript and recording of the call, a man told the dispatcher that he was walking down a street when he was approached by two men who demanded whatever was in his pockets and then hit him. He said one of the men pulled out a gun and then took his wallet. He then walked to a nearby office to call the police and report an armed robbery. He mentioned he had a history with them and knew who they were.

In the body-cam footage from the same day, an officer gets out of his car and stops two men, asking them about a possible assault. Bailey appears to take a water bottle out of his pocket, then is told by the officer to keep his hands out of his pockets. The officer then asks them their names and tells them to put their hands up. He said that they had a report about two people with similar descriptions having a gun on them, and that the officers were going to search them for a weapon.

As a second officer walks up behind Bailey, Bailey begins running away from the officers. They run after him and tell him to put his hands up before shooting him in the back multiple times. Bailey falls to the ground. After the officers cuff Bailey and call for medical assistance, the officers find a gun in his shorts and cut the shorts off him.

Following Bailey’s death, protesters in Colorado Springs came out to decry gun violence and police brutality, saying Bailey was murdered and criticizing the police department for putting the officers who shot Bailey back on active duty. At one protest two days after Bailey’s death, two white men were arrested after they approached protesters and drew their guns. In September, protesters interrupted Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers’s State of the City speech with chants of “justice for De’Von,” and were pushed out of the banquet hall, then later removed from outside of the room by the police.

Colorado’s “fleeing felons” statute runs up against a Supreme Court decision

Despite arguments from Bailey’s family’s attorneys that the teenager didn’t pose a threat to officers when he fled, Colorado law often protects police who shoot suspects who are running away, according to the Denver Post. The statue itself is often referred as “fleeing felons,” though Bailey was but a suspect.

”If the officer has a reasonable belief that the person has used a deadly weapon in a crime and is still armed, they can use deadly force to prevent that person from being a fleeing felon with that deadly weapon,” May, the district attorney, told BuzzFeed News.

Colorado law supports this, upholding that cops can use deadly force if they “reasonably believe that it is necessary” to defend themselves or someone else from imminent harm, but it also goes a step further to protect cops in shooting suspects who flee. Specifically, Colorado cops can use lethal force to “effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody, of a person whom he reasonably believes...has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving the use or threatened use of a deadly weapon.”

While supporters of the law argue that the statute prevents “fleeing felons” from getting away and perhaps further endangering their community, the Post points out that a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court case already determined the general shooting of fleeing suspects to be unconstitutional. In Tennessee v. Garner, the court ruled that law enforcement is in violation of a person’s constitutional rights when they shoot a fleeing suspect who isn’t an imminent threat.

According to the Post report from August, the Supreme Court ruling was cited by attorneys representing Bailey’s family as possibly applying to Bailey’s case. However, applying the ruling to Bailey’s case would have been difficult, according to Nancy Leong, a professor of the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

“How do we know that the officer willfully violated someone’s rights?” Leong told the Post in an email at the time. “It’s quite rare for officers to be convicted under this statute.”

Newman told the Post that Bailey’s family intends to pursue civil litigation.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/33RGWto

[corneliusreignallen]

Officers shot and killed a black teen. They won’t be charged because of a “fleeing felons” law.

AP/Colorado Springs Police Department

A grand jury found the shooting death of De’Von Bailey was justified.

The Colorado Springs police officers who shot and killed a black 19-year-old will not face charges, a grand jury ruled Wednesday. The use of lethal force in the death of De’Von Bailey, which had sparked protests over what appeared to be another case of police brutality from white officers against a black teenager, was found to be justified.

On August 3, two officers shot and killed Bailey after they stopped him and another man on the street and questioned them about an alleged armed robbery. Body-cam footage recorded Bailey running away from officers during the stop, who then shot Bailey in the back three times. He later died in the hospital. Officers found a gun in his pants immediately after shooting him, though attorneys for Bailey’s family argued the footage showed he wasn’t a threat to the officers.

According to District Attorney Dan May, the grand jury found that Bailey’s fleeing justified the officers’ shooting, citing state laws that protect police who shoot fleeing suspects. However, these statues are controversial, because they conflict with a U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined such shootings to be unconstitutional.

In October, May announced that a grand jury would be investigating whether to charge the officers who shot Bailey. Prior to the grand jury, Bailey’s death was investigated by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, then the District Attorney’s Office for review. However, Bailey’s family has long called for an independent investigation of the teen’s death, arguing that the law enforcement entities were too close. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and other elected officials echoed those calls.

“Our nation is grappling with difficult challenges concerning race and how we treat one another,” Polis said at a news conference at the time. “It is more important now at this moment in time that our law enforcement agencies go above and beyond to maintain public trust and confidence.”

The grand jury’s decision was a “no true bill,” which dismisses the defendants when a grand jury finds not enough evidence to charge them, according to a statement from Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski via CNN.

“This is the exact result that the process was designed to yield,” Mari Newman, an attorney representing the Bailey family, told Vox on Thursday. “When a tainted investigation is presented by a biased prosecutor, a grand jury can only come out one way. This is the very reason why we have called for an independent investigation and an independent prosecution from the beginning.”

Body cam footage of the police shooting outraged the community

Calls for justice rang louder after the release of graphic body-cam footage of Bailey’s death.

In August, 12 days after the shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department released video of the 911 call and footage. According to the transcript and recording of the call, a man told the dispatcher that he was walking down a street when he was approached by two men who demanded whatever was in his pockets and then hit him. He said one of the men pulled out a gun and then took his wallet. He then walked to a nearby office to call the police and report an armed robbery. He mentioned he had a history with them and knew who they were.

In the body-cam footage from the same day, an officer gets out of his car and stops two men, asking them about a possible assault. Bailey appears to take a water bottle out of his pocket, then is told by the officer to keep his hands out of his pockets. The officer then asks them their names and tells them to put their hands up. He said that they had a report about two people with similar descriptions having a gun on them, and that the officers were going to search them for a weapon.

As a second officer walks up behind Bailey, Bailey begins running away from the officers. They run after him and tell him to put his hands up before shooting him in the back multiple times. Bailey falls to the ground. After the officers cuff Bailey and call for medical assistance, the officers find a gun in his shorts and cut the shorts off him.

Following Bailey’s death, protesters in Colorado Springs came out to decry gun violence and police brutality, saying Bailey was murdered and criticizing the police department for putting the officers who shot Bailey back on active duty. At one protest two days after Bailey’s death, two white men were arrested after they approached protesters and drew their guns. In September, protesters interrupted Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers’s State of the City speech with chants of “justice for De’Von,” and were pushed out of the banquet hall, then later removed from outside of the room by the police.

Colorado’s “fleeing felons” statute runs up against a Supreme Court decision

Despite arguments from Bailey’s family’s attorneys that the teenager didn’t pose a threat to officers when he fled, Colorado law often protects police who shoot suspects who are running away, according to the Denver Post. The statue itself is often referred as “fleeing felons,” though Bailey was but a suspect.

”If the officer has a reasonable belief that the person has used a deadly weapon in a crime and is still armed, they can use deadly force to prevent that person from being a fleeing felon with that deadly weapon,” May, the district attorney, told BuzzFeed News.

Colorado law supports this, upholding that cops can use deadly force if they “reasonably believe that it is necessary” to defend themselves or someone else from imminent harm, but it also goes a step further to protect cops in shooting suspects who flee. Specifically, Colorado cops can use lethal force to “effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody, of a person whom he reasonably believes...has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving the use or threatened use of a deadly weapon.”

While supporters of the law argue that the statute prevents “fleeing felons” from getting away and perhaps further endangering their community, the Post points out that a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court case already determined the general shooting of fleeing suspects to be unconstitutional. In Tennessee v. Garner, the court ruled that law enforcement is in violation of a person’s constitutional rights when they shoot a fleeing suspect who isn’t an imminent threat.

According to the Post report from August, the Supreme Court ruling was cited by attorneys representing Bailey’s family as possibly applying to Bailey’s case. However, applying the ruling to Bailey’s case would have been difficult, according to Nancy Leong, a professor of the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

“How do we know that the officer willfully violated someone’s rights?” Leong told the Post in an email at the time. “It’s quite rare for officers to be convicted under this statute.”

Newman told the Post that Bailey’s family intends to pursue civil litigation.

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/33RGWto

[olympicgames-en]

Tokyo Olympic officials welcomed to Colorado Springs

#OlympicGames #SummerOlympics [KOAA 5]COLORADO SPRINGS – Olympic City, USA played host to officials from the next Olympic games — the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Mayor John Suthers and American athletes welcomed Consul General ...

[yesdiezzblog]

Business Briefs and Kudos

Business Briefs Students network with construction companies

Fifteen local construction companies and Careers in Construction, a workforce-development program powered by The Colorado Springs Housing & Building Association and Associated General Contractors of Colorado, partnered to host the inaugural Career Pathways Fair Jan. 17 at The Pinery at The Hill, introducing more than 60 CIC high school students to the variety of careers available in the industry.

CIC students are earning Department of Labor-recognized certificates in carpentry, electrical and plumbing, allowing them to start a career directly after high school. The fair allowed students to not only learn more about construction careers, but also meet successful tradespeople who could help them gauge their own potential in the industry.

CIC students from the following districts attended the fair: Harrison School District 2; Widefield School District 3; Colorado Springs School District 11; and District 49.

HFF secures $102.5M

Holliday Fenoglio Fowler L.P. secured $102.5 million in financing for a 13-building suburban office portfolio totaling more than 1 million square feet in Colorado Springs. The HFF team worked on behalf of the borrower, Crescent Real Estate LLC, to secure the five-year, floating-rate acquisition loan through Bank of America Merrill Lynch. At 75 percent leased, the portfolio’s rent roll consists of a wide range of industry sectors — aerospace, government and military/defense contractors, technology and health care. Major credit tenants include Northrop Grumman, Army National Guard, GSA, The Spectranetics Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton and United Healthcare. The HFF debt placement team representing the borrower included senior managing director Trey Morsbach, managing director Jim Curtin and director Leon McBroom.

New staff, board members join Visit COS

Visit Colorado Springs has hired staff and promoted existing staff.

• Jane Blazer, who recently moved to the Springs, is the new marketing coordinator, responsible for marketing outreach and supporting the marketing manager and the chief innovation officer. (jane@visitcos.com, 719-685-7637)

• Dina Chiaravalloti, with VCOS since January 2017 and formerly group servicing manager, has been promoted to sales manager, responsible for working with Colorado associations, military reunions, education, fraternal, government, hobby, special events and third-party planners. (dina@visitcos.com, 719-685-7625)

• Holly Taylor is the group servicing coordinator, responsible for providing servicing to all group markets as well as coordinating and assisting with military, class and family reunions, day meetings, holiday parties, student and youth groups and weddings. (holly@visitcos.com, 719-685-7626)

• Denise Noble, with VCOS since March 2012 and formerly the partnership coordinator, has been promoted to partner relations manager, responsible for partner relationship-building, account reviews, website updates, invoicing, email communications, event planning and execution and supporting the director of partnership development. (denise@visitcos.com, 719-685-7621)

• The Colorado Tourism Office named Chelsy Offutt, director of communications, a member of the 2019 class for the Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey, a year-long executive training program aimed at building the state tourism industry’s bench strength.

• Crystal LaTier joined the VCOS Board of Directors as a non-voting El Paso County representative. LaTier is the housing authority executive director and interim economic development executive director with the county’s Economic Development Department, where she has worked since 2010. LaTier oversees the administration of the County’s Community Development Block Grant Program.

• Becky Leinweber joined the VCOS Board as a voting member. She is executive director of Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance where she strengthens the outdoor recreation industry for the Pikes Peak region through leadership and collaboration. She also co-owns Angler’s Covey in Colorado Springs with her husband David.

• Dave Harris has rejoined the VCOS Board as a voting member, having served on the Board for 18 years and its executive committee for eight. Harris co-owns and operates Pikes Peak Ghost Town with his wife and has previously served eight years as President of Pikes Peak Region Attractions.

Kudos Schuck Communities celebrates 50 years, hires new CEO and VP

Schuck Communities is celebrating 50 years in business by passing the torch to new leaders. Brock Chapman joined Schuck Communities as president and CEO in October and Mike DeGrant has joined the team as the new VP of development. Chapman is a member of the National Association of Home Builders and Urban Land Institute. He was an adjunct professor at the University of Denver, teaching marketing strategy courses to graduate students; and served on a Regis University Corporate Advisory Board.

DeGrant recently finished his term as president of the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs, where he helped advance multiple initiatives, including the implementation of construction education in schools to give students who are not college-bound the skills to pursue a career in the trades. His current and past community service includes serving on the boards of HBA Cares, the Homeless Initiative Trustee Committee, the Continuum of Care Governing Board, and the Partnership for Community Design board, among others.

PPWFC announces State of the Workforce award winners

The Pikes Peak Workforce Center presented four awards at its State of the Workforce breakfast Jan. 16 at the DoubleTree Hotel.

The event included opening remarks by Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers and keynote speaker Josh Davies, CEO of The Center for Work Ethic Development. The award winners were:

• 2018 Champion of Prosperity Award — Pikes Peak Community College IT Department/Mustafa Akcadogan.

• 2018 Pikes Peak Workforce Center Employee of the Year — Toya Graham.

• 2018 Teller County Employer of the Year — Bronco Billy’s.

• 2018 El Paso County Employer of the Year — ConcealFab.

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[woodenshoebrews]

This Colorado city declined to allow pot sales. Now it’s having second thoughts

This Colorado city declined to allow pot sales. Now it’s having second thoughts

By Kurtis Lee

Dec 14, 2017 | Reporting from Colorado Springs, Colo.

At the A Wellness Centers marijuana dispensary in Colorado Springs, only medicinal marijuana can be sold. (Matthew Staver / For The Times)

At the two malls in town you can buy key chains and Christmas ornaments shaped like marijuana leaves. Along a downtown shopping corridor, paintings of cannabis plants grace storefront windows.

Even Kmart stocks its shelves with T-shirts and mugs decorated with the signature green leaf and “Colorado est. 2012” — the year the state legalized recreational marijuana.

But that is the one pot product you can’t buy in Colorado Springs.

When Coloradans voted overwhelmingly to make non-medical marijuana legal, they left it up to cities whether to allow sales. Colorado Springs, home to five military bases and known for its conservative politics and religious values, blocked recreational cannabis sales. Now some in town want to change that, saying the state’s second largest city is missing out on sales taxes that are enriching cities across Colorado.

Similar debates are already happening in cities in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada — states that passed legalization measures last year. Recently, the Los Angeles City Council, eager to pull in new tax revenue, crafted rules for recreational marijuana sales that will begin in January.

In Colorado, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, just a handful of cities still forbid such sales. The Colorado Springs City Council enacted its ban in 2013, but Denver, suburbs and mountain ski towns rushed to implement sales and quickly saw the boon.

Left: A T-shirt reading "Dude I think this whole town is high. Colorado Springs" is for sale. Right: Workers hang holiday decorations downtown. (Matthew Staver / For The Times)

Last year, Colorado pot sales and fees produced nearly $200 million in tax revenue. In Denver, the city raked in about $24 million, which, among other things, was used to build a recreation center near downtown. Aurora, a Denver suburb, brought in about $16 million and used the money to help fund projects to help homeless people.

And in Manitou Springs, a community of about 5,300 known for its eclectic charm — it has a weekly Wiccan meetup — pot money has revitalized the town.

For nearly 12 years, a project to revamp the main thoroughfare stagnated. Now, marijuana taxes are funding new bike paths, decorative sidewalks and lighting. Major improvements were already underway thanks to a voter-approved road initiative, but money from pot made the extra amenities and aesthetic improvements possible.

Work continues on a construction project near Manitou Springs, where money from legal marijuana sales has allowed the city to install new bike paths, decorative sidewalks and lighting.

The town’s two dispensaries last year generated $1 million in taxes — some of that from the pockets of residents from neighboring Colorado Springs. In 2016, Manitou Springs’ budget was about $8.3 million. And this year, it increased to about $10.4 million, thanks, in part, to pot.

“It’s brought new life to this town,” Farley McDonough, president of the Manitou Springs Urban Renewal Authority, said. “In many ways, it’s good Colorado Springs does not have sales.”

Marcy Morrison, a former Manitou Springs mayor, staunchly opposed legalizing pot back in 2012.

“I thought it was terrible,” she said. “But really this has been a learning experience. Legal pot has helped the city.”

People are going all over this state to buy marijuana and it’s outrageous.

Top: Richard Skorman, president of the Colorado Springs city council, supports legal recreational pot sales in the city. Left, Marcy Morrison, changed her mind about marijuana sales after seeing the tax revenue it generates. Right: Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers remains opposed "It’s largely a moral issue." (Matthew Staver / For the Times)

For Colorado Springs City Council President Richard Skorman, it’s frustrating to watch the cash flow to other cities — “sales tax leakage,” he calls it.

“People are going all over this state to buy marijuana and it’s outrageous,” Skorman said. “It’s already legal. It’s in the state’s Constitution.”

Skorman is teaming with a local group, Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods, which is working to get a legal pot initiative on the local ballot in November. The group must gather 20,000 signatures by the summer to place it before voters in this city of 465,100.

Safer Neighborhoods commissioned an economic study by a University of Denver professor that estimated Colorado Springs would make an additional $20 million in taxes — money that supporters say could, among other things, help repair roads and hire more police officers.

A large portion of that would come from medicinal marijuana shops looking to sell recreational pot. According to the study, if all 356 licensed medical marijuana establishments in the city were to pay a licensing fee of $7,500 for recreational pot, Colorado Springs would collect about $2.6 million.

Tom Scudder, who is a member of Safer Neighborhoods, said his two marijuana shops illustrate some benefits, and unfulfilled potential, of legalized pot.

At Rocky Road Aurora, which sells recreational and medical weed, the line of people waiting to buy strains of Agent Orange sativa and Lemon OG indica loops around stanchions and a Christmas tree in the lobby. The walls of the bustling shop are decorated with hats and T-shirts emblazoned with the company’s name, and near the checkout counter are marijuana themed greeting cards.

Clockwise from top left: Bud tender Sandy Mead helps patient Chris Webb inside A Wellness Centers dispensary in Colorado Springs. Jars of marijuana inside the dispensary. A view of the dispensary’s white board. A worker measures out marijuana for a patient. (Matthew Staver / For The Times)

An hour away back in Colorado Springs, Scudder runs a medical pot dispensary, A Wellness Centers, out of a small office space in a low-slung, cinder-block strip mall that looks like an aging motel. Inside, the hum of a dusty air-conditioning unit attached to the paint-peeling walls fills the silence of the often empty shop.

“Not having legal sales here is wrecking my business and hurting this community,” Scudder said in the Colorado Springs dispensary.

But his effort faces strong pushback from a prominent local voice: Republican Mayor John Suthers, who was the state’s attorney general when Coloradans passed legal weed.

“I may well be behind the times, some have called me a ‘drug war dinosaur,’ but I remain absolutely convinced it’s terrible public policy,” Suthers said. “People should not be getting high for fun. … We’re creating a generation of young marijuana users who will go on to become lifelong drug abusers.”

Tom Scudder, who owns A Wellness Centers dispensary, is helping lead a campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Colorado Springs.

Suthers often points out that local law enforcement supports his view. He also notes past reports from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that showed an uptick in teen marijuana use in Colorado since voters passed legal pot. (A report, however, released in December by the agency found that the current rate of marijuana use among Colorado 12- to 17-year-olds dropped from 11% in 2014 to 9% in 2016.)

And cutting off the black market? That’s wishful thinking, Suthers said.

He cited a recent example in Denver, where grand jurors indicted 62 people in a marijuana-trafficking organization that amassed millions of dollars by illegally growing pot and selling it out of state. It was among the largest crackdowns on illegal growing since marijuana sales went into effect.

And Suthers says the city’s conservative values and image are at stake. Not since Lyndon B. Johnson was on the ballot in 1964 has a Democratic presidential candidate won here, and the community recently faced backlash for opposing needle-exchange programs embraced throughout much of Colorado amid the country’s opioid crisis.

When asked what he would do with increased revenue from marijuana taxes should it become legal here, Suthers demurred, saying the notion the city would “fund essential government services with proceeds from drug sales in violation of federal law is irresponsible.”

“For me, it’s largely a moral issue,” he said.

On a recent evening, a trickle of customers arrived at Scudder’s Colorado Springs shop, which he admits could use a renovation. He decided a while back to hold off on putting in new floors and walls until legal sales are implemented. And he never thought it would take this long.

Jeremy Brent works on pruning marijuana plants inside a grow facility for A Wellness Centers dispensary in Colorado Springs.

“We are literally allowing money to walk right out of the city,” Scudder said. “For what? Because of some so-called ‘conservative values.’”

Chris Webb, 45, who uses marijuana for anxiety, came into the shop to buy a quarter ounce of Flo sativa. To him, the pushback against recreational sales has been surprising.

“I’ve lived in this city most of my life,” he said. “We could use the money to fix some of these damn potholes.”

As the shop’s employee — the bud tender — handed Webb his change, her face lit up in agreement.

“I hit one of those the other day,” she said.

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[jonathanhenchman]

Feds hold closed-doors meetings with Colorado officials known to have doubts about weed

Then Colorado Attorney General John Suthers in his office on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/top-14-candidates-donald-trump-looking-replace-james-comey-fbi/

Top 14 candidates Donald Trump looking at to replace James Comey at FBI

President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey just last week, but he's been very vocal about going the fast and furious route to replace his memory. Over the weekend, the administration has interviewed at least eight candidates to be FBI director and Trump has said a decision could come within days. This is the type of speed Trump was dreaming about to 'repeal and replace' Obamacare in his first 100 days in office.

Trump, who is scheduled to leave Friday on his first overseas trip as president, told reporters Saturday that it was possible he could announce his selection before then.

"I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well-known," Trump said before taking off for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."

Trump abruptly fired Comey on Tuesday and later said Comey was a "showboat" and "grandstander" who was not doing a good job. The firing drew a wave of criticism in large part because the FBI has been investigating whether election meddling by Russia involved people in Trump's presidential campaign. Changing rationales for the firing offered by White House aides added an element of chaos to the president's action.

Comey's replacement requires Senate confirmation. The FBI director serves a 10-year term but can be replaced by the president.

So far 14 people — lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials among them — have emerged as candidates. Eight met at the Justice Department on Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

Here's the full list of candidates under consideration to replace fired FBI Director James Comey and a little bit about them. Also included is how some of them feel about the Russia probe: SEN. JOHN CORNYN Cornyn is the No. 2 Senate Republican and a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the aftermath of Comey's dismissal, Cornyn said Trump was "within his authority" to fire him and said it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trump's presidential campaign. While speaking on Face the Nation, Cornyn disagreed with Trump's favorite characterization of the Russian investigation as a "witch hunt." He said: "It is a legitimate area of inquiry. ...there is no question that Putin is trying to undermine our democracy and undermine public confidence in our institutions." He also released a statement on his website after Comey's termination saying, "We have a bipartisan commitment to get to the bottom of this Russian investigation." REP. TREY GOWDY The South Carolina Republican is best known for leading the congressional inquiry into the deadly attacks on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, a panel that oversaw a lengthy grilling of Hillary Clinton in 2015. A former federal prosecutor and state attorney, Gowdy was elected to Congress in the 2010 tea party wave and has focused on law enforcement issues. He originally endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president before backing Trump in May 2016. FORMER REP. MIKE ROGERS Rogers is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He served Michigan in Congress for more than a decade before stepping down in 2015. Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trump's transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for then-FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2013, and he received support from an association of FBI agents before President Barack Obama chose Comey. RAY KELLY Kelly was commissioner of the New York City Police Department for more than a decade, serving two mayors. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, he created the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department and oversaw a drastic reduction in crime. But Kelly also came under fire for his use of aggressive police tactics, including a program that spied on Muslims and a dramatic spike in the use of stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately affected nonwhite New Yorkers. J. MICHAEL LUTTIG Luttig, the general counsel for Boeing Corp., is viewed as a conservative legal powerhouse from his tenure as a judge on the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and his time as a Justice Department lawyer. He was considered for two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies that went to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Luttig clashed with the George W. Bush White House on a prominent terror case, rebuking the administration for its actions in the case involving "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla. LARRY THOMPSON A deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Thompson served as the department's No. 2 from 2001 to 2003. Among his most high-profile actions was allowing Syrian-born Canadian citizen Maher Arar to be deported to Syria, where he was tortured, after being falsely named as a terrorist. Thompson also served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and held several high-level positions at PepsiCo. PAUL ABBATE Abbate is a senior official at the FBI, currently responsible for the bureau's criminal and cyber branch. He previously led FBI field offices in Washington, one of the agency's largest, and in Detroit. He's been deeply involved for years in FBI efforts to fight terrorism, serving in supervisory roles in Iraq and Afghanistan and later overseeing FBI international terrorism investigations as a section chief. He's been with the FBI for more than 20 years, and is one of the FBI officials who interviewed this week for the role of interim director. ALICE FISHER Currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins specializing in white-collar criminal and internal investigations, Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about policies at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She also served as deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal. If selected, she would be the bureau's first female director.

Fisher hasn't made public comments about the Russia investigation.

She was the assistant attorney general for George W. Bush and she would be the first woman to serve as FBI director.

During his confirmation for her position at the DOJ, Democrats opposed her for her alleged comments regarding detention policies at a Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba, per McClatchy.

ANDREW MCCABE A Duke-educated lawyer, McCabe was named last year as the FBI's deputy director, the No. 2 position in the bureau, overseeing significant investigations and operations. Since joining the FBI more than 20 years ago, he's held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBI's national security branch and its Washington field office. McCabe became acting director after Comey was fired, but has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation. The FBI's investigation into Russian election interference is "highly significant." McCabe also said the FBI would not succumb to any person's efforts to influence the investigation. MICHAEL GARCIA A former New York prosecutor, Garcia has served as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals - the state's highest court - since early 2016. He served as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

Although Garcia hasn't made any public comments about the current Russia investigation, FIFA hired him in 2012 to investigate Russian conspiracies to secured the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids (one of which Russia had won).

During those 18 months, he interviewed more than 75 witnesses and produced a 430-page report for FIFA by the end of it all.

Regarding that FIFA role, Garcia said in 2013 that "my authority is to investigate any official—top down—for misconduct. No one is above the ethics code."

JOHN SUTHERS A former U.S. attorney and Colorado attorney general, Suthers was elected mayor of Colorado Springs in 2015. He is widely respected among state law enforcement and many Colorado Democrats. Suthers was inspired to become a prosecutor after he spent part of an internship in the Colorado Springs district attorney's office watching the trial of a gang of soldiers convicted of killing various citizens, including actor Kelsey Grammer's sister, during a crime spree in the 1970s. ADAM LEE Lee, a longtime agent, is special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond office. He worked in a variety of positions within the bureau. Before Comey tapped him to lead the Richmond office in 2014, he was section chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, investigating some of the highest-profile cases against government officials and civil rights violations in recent years. He also led the FBI's global Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Antitrust Programs. HENRY E. HUDSON Hudson is a federal judge in Richmond who earned praise from conservatives when he struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010. He is a George W. Bush appointee who earned the nickname "Hang 'Em High Henry" for his tough-on-crime stand as a federal prosecutor and on the bench. He became a hero to animal rights activists when he sentenced NFL star Michael Vick to nearly two years in prison in 2007 for running a dogfighting ring. FRANCES TOWNSEND Townsend was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush after a series of high-profile Justice Department jobs. Among other roles, Townsend is a national security analyst for CBS News. She worked as a federal prosecutor in New York under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, focusing on white-collar and organized crime. At the Justice Department, she worked in a variety of jobs including leading the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which helped oversee intelligence-gathering activities related to the nation's top secret surveillance court.

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[trendingnewsb]

The Candidates Trump is Considering for FBI Director

Washington (AP) — President Donald Trump is considering more than a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

White House officials said Friday the president was moving expeditiously to find an interim FBI director along with a permanent replacement for Comey, who was fired Tuesday.

Eight candidates had interviews Saturday: Texas Sen. John Cornyn; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; attorney Alice Fisher; New York Court of Appeals Judge Michael Garcia; Adam Lee, head of the bureau's office in Richmond, Virginia; federal judge Henry E. Hudson of Virginia; former homeland security adviser Frances Townsend; and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers.

The overall list includes South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, according to two White House officials briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The candidates under consideration as a permanent replacement for Comey:

__

SEN. JOHN CORNYN

Cornyn is the No. 2 Senate Republican and a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the aftermath of Comey's dismissal, Cornyn said Trump was "within his authority" to fire him and said it would not affect the investigation of possible Russian ties to Trump's presidential campaign.

__

REP. TREY GOWDY

The South Carolina Republican is best known for leading the congressional inquiry into the deadly attacks on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, a panel that oversaw a lengthy grilling of Hillary Clinton in 2015. A former federal prosecutor and state attorney, Gowdy was elected to Congress in the 2010 tea party wave and has focused on law enforcement issues. He originally endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president before backing Trump in May 2016.

__

FORMER REP. MIKE ROGERS

Rogers is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He served Michigan in Congress for more than a decade before stepping down in 2015. Rogers worked for the FBI as a special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s and briefly advised Trump's transition team on national security issues. His name was floated as a possible replacement for then-FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2013, and he received support from an association of FBI agents before President Barack Obama chose Comey.

__

RAY KELLY

Kelly was commissioner of the New York City Police Department for more than a decade, serving two mayors. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, he created the first counterterrorism bureau of any municipal police department and oversaw a drastic reduction in crime. But Kelly also came under fire for his use of aggressive police tactics, including a program that spied on Muslims and a dramatic spike in the use of stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately affected nonwhite New Yorkers.

__

J. MICHAEL LUTTIG

Luttig, the general counsel for Boeing Corp., is viewed as a conservative legal powerhouse from his tenure as a judge on the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and his time as a Justice Department lawyer. He was considered for two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies that went to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Luttig clashed with the George W. Bush White House on a prominent terror case, rebuking the administration for its actions in the case involving "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla.

__

LARRY THOMPSON

A deputy attorney general under President George W. Bush, Thompson served as the department's No. 2 from 2001 to 2003. Among his most high-profile actions was allowing Syrian-born Canadian citizen Maher Arar to be deported to Syria, where he was tortured, after being falsely named as a terrorist. Thompson also served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and held several high-level positions at PepsiCo.

__

PAUL ABBATE

Abbate is a senior official at the FBI, currently responsible for the bureau's criminal and cyber branch. He previously led FBI field offices in Washington, one of the agency's largest, and in Detroit. He's been deeply involved for years in FBI efforts to fight terrorism, serving in supervisory roles in Iraq and Afghanistan and later overseeing FBI international terrorism investigations as a section chief. He's been with the FBI for more than 20 years, and is one of the FBI officials who interviewed this week for the role of interim director.

__

ALICE FISHER

Currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins specializing in white-collar criminal and internal investigations, Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. Fisher faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about policies at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She also served as deputy special counsel to the Senate special committee that investigated President Bill Clinton's Whitewater scandal. If selected, she would be the bureau's first female director.

__

ANDREW MCCABE

A Duke-educated lawyer, McCabe was named last year as the FBI's deputy director, the No. 2 position in the bureau, overseeing significant investigations and operations. Since joining the FBI more than 20 years ago, he's held multiple leadership positions, including overseeing the FBI's national security branch and its Washington field office. McCabe became acting director after Comey was fired, but has shown a repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of the ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.

__

MICHAEL GARCIA

A former New York prosecutor, Garcia has served as an associate judge on the New York Court of Appeals the state's highest court since early 2016. He served as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2005 to 2008, and previously held high-level positions in the Commerce Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

__

JOHN SUTHERS

A former U.S. attorney and Colorado attorney general, Suthers was elected mayor of Colorado Springs in 2015. He is widely respected among state law enforcement and many Colorado Democrats. Suthers was inspired to become a prosecutor after he spent part of an internship in the Colorado Springs district attorney's office watching the trial of a gang of soldiers convicted of killing various citizens, including actor Kelsey Grammer's sister, during a crime spree in the 1970s.

__

ADAM LEE

Lee, a longtime agent, is special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond office. He worked in a variety of positions within the bureau. Before Comey tapped him to lead the Richmond office in 2014, he was section chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, investigating some of the highest profile cases against government officials and civil rights violations in recent years. He also led the FBI's global Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Antitrust Programs.

__

HENRY E. HUDSON

Hudson is a federal judge in Richmond who earned praise from conservatives when he struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administration's health care law in 2010. He is a George W. Bush appointee who earned the nickname "Hang 'Em High Henry" for his tough-on-crime stand as a federal prosecutor and on the bench. He became a hero to animal rights activists when he sentenced NFL star Michael Vick to nearly two years in prison in 2007 for running a dogfighting ring.

__

FRANCES TOWNSEND

Townsend was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush after a series of high-profile Justice Department jobs.

Among other roles, Townsend is a national security analyst for CBS News. She worked as a federal prosecutor in New York under then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, focusing on white-collar and organized crime. At the Justice Department, she worked in a variety of jobs including leading the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which helped oversee intelligence-gathering activities related to the nation's top secret surveillance court.

___

Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman and Eric Tucker in Washington and Nick Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

___

On Twitter follow Colvin at https://twitter.com/colvinj and Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC

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[growingdenver]

Colorado’s John Suthers makes Donald Trump’s list of James Comey replacements

Colorado’s John Suthers makes Donald Trump’s list of James Comey replacements

WASHINGTON — Included on President Donald Trump’s shortlist of potential replacements for ousted FBI Director James Comey is John Suthers, the mayor of Colorado Springs and former state Attorney General. Suthers was part of a slate of nearly a dozen candidates made public Friday by Fox News, and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., confirmed in a Tweet that he recommended the longtime public…