North Charleston officers cleared in deathOverdose killed suspect, SLED reports By Noah Haglund (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Bleeding from the leg and yelling for help, Louis Jermaine Broomfield jumped into a police officer's car on a Union Heights street a year ago. Police later gathered that Broomfield had grabbed some cocaine without paying for it and that another man started chasing him, firing a handgun. 
Provided Louis Jermaine Broomfield While waiting for an ambulance, North Charleston police decided to detain the 35-year-old, who had been hit by a bullet in his leg. He struggled and officers used a Taser. He died soon after at a hospital. Any number of things could have killed Broomfield on the morning of April 24, 2007. A SLED report released recently says it was a cocaine overdose — not the gunshot or three Taser shocks authorities say he received. Police never recovered any drugs from the scene. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson reviewed the evidence last month and called the death "an unfortunate incident." "I am confident that the use of the Taser by the officers of the North Charleston Police Department was appropriate and necessary, given the actions of Mr. Broomfield," she wrote in a letter to a state investigator dated April 14. "After reviewing the SLED report, I am of the opinion that Mr. Broomfield appears to have met his death accidentally as a result of his use of cocaine." Sgt. William Hardee was driving the cruiser that Broomfield first jumped into, then he and a second officer tried to detain the wounded man. Pfc. David Blackwell also arrived, and Hardee ordered him to use a Taser. The solicitor advised SLED to close its file. The state agency released the report to The Post and Courier this week. Initially, the Coroner's Office said the gunshot wound to Broomfield's leg would not have been fatal by itself. Two separate analyses mentioned in the SLED report show that he had alcohol and cocaine in his blood. Broomfield's aunt, Brenda McClary, declined to comment on Tuesday, saying she wanted to see the official report first. She said SLED had promised to call her when it had finished the investigation but hadn't so far. Police arrested two men in Broomfield's shooting, a few blocks from where they first encountered the wounded man. The Solicitor's Office said Terrell Maurice Archield, now 21, pleaded guilty to assault and battery with intent to kill on Feb. 7. Circuit Judge Thomas L. Hughston Jr. sentenced Archield to 10 years in prison, with credit for time he spent in jail since being arrested. The sentence will be suspended after five years to five years probation. Charges are still pending against Eric Roshard Nathaniel, now 19, for accessory after the fact of assault and battery with intent to kill and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. As a matter of routine, Blackwell was placed on paid administrative leave and later returned to work. He is no longer with the department but left in good standing, said Spencer Pryor, the department's public information officer. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 14 comment(s)
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 7, 2008 at 3:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
*laughs* .... There are cases out there where coroners have been proven wrong by a second independent autopsy. So what if he had some cocaine in his system. Plenty of people are dying right after being tased. Maybe the next one will be you?
Posted by Early on May 7, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think it would still bother the officers, taking another human life. I'm happy it turned out differently.
Drugs are the Devil's workshop!
Posted by theronce on May 7, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like one of the criminals is still out, and we'll have to deal with the other one again in about 4 years.
Posted by RTC on May 7, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you die from a taser shock then you must have some underlying medical condition.
Don't fight the cops, and you won't get tased.
Posted by ColdBeer on May 7, 2008 at 8:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As long as they are only tasing people that refuse to do as told, I can't see it being called "out of hand".
Police Officers getting killed in the line of duty IS getting out of hand. If we are going to ask these men and women to protect us from violent people, we need to provide them with the tools needed to protect themselves. I think the taser is one of the best options at this point in time. Sooner or later, something that works better, and is safer, will be developed...
Posted by reality_woman on May 7, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I work in an ER, we see peole that get tased all the time. They are fine! The reason we see these peole is because they all claim medical problems when being arrested. We then send tax dollars checking them out to find out there isn't a damn thing wrong with them.
I agree they should not run, nor should they becoe aggressive. Police need to be able to protect themselves. Taser vs bullet......hmmm sounds like taser has the better outcome here.
Posted by UrGatorbait on May 7, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think the Taser is a much better option than bullets if it protects the LEOs than taser away if the suspect doesn't comply.
When common sense and some measure of respect return to society as a whole then we'll have a better weapon to use. I'll piggyback on raregar, any loss of life sucks.
Posted by Girleygirl on May 7, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Tasers are embarrassing to criminals because when they get tased they pee on themselves. Can't be a thug with piss and poop falling from your leg so they have to act like something else is wrong...
Posted by forget on May 7, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Tasing isn't getting out of hand, criminals are. Go ahead and tase them if they are resisting. I don't worry about the next one getting tased might be me. If you don't put yourself in that position you don't need to worry about it. Funny how his aunt is so concerned about this report, where was her concern when he was out hustling on the street? Maybe she ( or his parents ) needed to be more concerned with his criminal activities. Now all they're waiting for is a report so they can file a claim.
Posted by wpc3iop on May 7, 2008 at 11:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Another dead druggie...big deal...MOVE ON!
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 7, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
PHILADELPHIA - More than a dozen police officers will be taken off the street as authorities investigate a video showing three suspects being kicked, punched and beaten after they were pulled out of a car during a traffic stop, the mayor's office said.
"Officers are not allowed to operate outside of the law."
The video, shot by a WTXF-TV helicopter, shows three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road. About a dozen officers gather around the vehicle and pull three men out. About a half-dozen officers hold two of the men on the ground on the driver's side. Both are kicked repeatedly, while one is seen being punched; one also appears to be struck with a baton.
On the other side of the car, another group of officers can be seen kicking a third man who ends up on the ground.
Posted by u50cvh on May 7, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Thomas1776, since you were there, tell us what happened. If you weren't, then shut the hell up!
Posted by forget on May 7, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thomas1776- and why are you associating that with this?
Posted by Classy_Lady on May 8, 2008 at 12:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am the first cousin of the young man you all are referring too and I would like to clear up several misconceptions you all have... First, I would like to make you all aware that as an adolescent Jermaine was forced to deal with the death of his mother at age 12 (to cancer). Prior to this, he had a relatively normal childhood. However, the affects of his mother’s death resulted in a life long cycle of bad decisions triggered by the psychological sight affects of her death. Yes, Jermaine made many bad decisions, but who hasn't? He had a very large family who loved him very much and was always showing the utmost concern for him (I just want to clear up any misunderstandings... Especially those expressed by FORGET). In addition, the Aunt referred to above raised Jermaine as well as his two siblings in the church from the time of his mothers’ death until the children saw fit to leave her home. Afterwards, she still played a very active maternal role in their lives, as she continues to today caring for Jermaine's older sister who had several mini-strokes and helping with his two small children.
Now that I have given you some background on this victim, let me tell you the truth about the case...
Before being tased, Jermaine was shot in a “robbery attempt.” However, despite having a gunshot wound to the leg he managed to run from Arbutus Ave. to Beech Ave. on North Charleston's Union Heights. While running, Jermaine was screaming for help and asking neighbors to call the police... After seeing a patrol car, Jermaine flagged down the car and ASKED the officers for HELP. Officers then stated that Jermaine, who had already been shot, would not comply. But I’m wondering.. HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD REACT CALMLY TO BEING SHOT AND CHASED BY 2 PEOPLE TRYING TO KILL YOU? Though drugs may have been in his system, he was not armed with ANY weapons and no drugs were found at the scene. Lastly, the final fact I want to reveal publicly is that Jermaine WAS TASED 7 TIMES BY THE NORTH CHARLESTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. My family had pictures taken of Jermaine’s body before it was embalmed, and he had over 7 tase marks and many burns to his entire body.
In conclusion, I hope you all who made ignorant and uninformed comments will think twice next time. Please realize that the victims you see on the daily news have lives and stories that you know NOTHING about. For all of you who chose to depict MY cousin as a Druggie, this young man had more manners and respect than most people I know. Though grieving, my family will continue to pray for the North Charleston Police Department and its wrong doings (One of the officers in this case resigned, I wonder why…GUILTY CONSCIOUS???). You all have a responsibility, yet when it comes to young black males you often fail in the face of this responsibility with NO REMORSE. No one from NCPD ever came to my Aunt's home to offer their condolences. However, we will continue to pray for these officers and their families.