Plain Old Justice

Cop Shoots Handcuffed Man

By John Peccavi
 
In January 2020, a police officer in Prince George's County, Maryland, put a handcuffed man in his patrol car.  Minutes later, he fired 7 shots, six of them striking the handcuffed victim, William Green, who died.

The officer, Michael Owen, Jr., was charged with second degree murder and other offenses and is being held without bond.  But exactly what happened that night, and why, remains unclear. The officer was not wearing a bodycam.

News reports suggest that Owen may have claimed that there had been a struggle.  However, the Prince George's County police chief said that there was no corroborating evidence.

We know for sure that the victim, William Green, was sitting in the police car with his hands cuffed behind him when shot.

It appears that from 10 to 20 minutes elapsed between the time Owen handcuffed Green and put him in the car, and the time Green was shot.  More information should come out at Owen's trial, now scheduled for March 22 of this year. 

Prince George's County agreed to pay $20 million to the victim's family.

But could the death have been avoided?  A Washington Post article suggests that there were warning signs:

Owen's supervisors were unaware he had sought workers' compensation for psychological difficulties stemming from a fatal shooting early in his career, department officials said, even though Owen was supposed to notify them.  Over the next decade, Owen used force against civilians at least nine times. . .Twice last year, videos taken as Owen was arresting people show him with his hands on their
necks.

Would William Green be alive, and Price George's County $20 million richer, if the police department's supervisors had been. . .supervising?

Banner photograph of handcuffs by Skiddle2003 (Wikimedia Commons).