By Ryan Knutson, ProPublica
Federal investigators charged
another New Orleans police officer in connection to the Danziger
Bridge shootings, in which two civilians were killed and four were
wounded in the days after Hurricane Katrina. The Danziger Bridge
shootings are among a string of violent post-Katrina police encounters
we’ve investigated in collaboration with PBS “Frontline” and the New Orleans
Times-Picayune.
Officer Robert Barrios, who was charged with conspiring to obstruct
justice, became the fourth police officer charged in the case, and the
fifth person overall. Three former officers have already pleaded guilty
to charges related to the shooting. Barrios reportedly
resigned from the force shortly after being charged.
Marion David Ryder, a civilian who impersonated a police officer the day
of the shooting, also was indicted
this month on charges of lying to federal agents and unlawful
possession of a handgun.
The charge against Barrios came in a bill of information, which is only
allowed in cases where the defendant has waived the requirement that a
grand jury issue charges. That usually indicates the defendant is
cooperating with the case.
The Times-Picayune reports
that Barrios was in the back of a vehicle with four other officers when
they responded to a report that officers were shot while on Interstate
10, which is parallel with the Danziger Bridge.