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Trooper Indicted In Mistaken-Identity Shooting Friday, Apr 14, 2006 By The Morning News BENTONVILLE - An Arkansas State Police Trooper was indicted by a Benton County grand jury Thursday for shooting a disabled Springdale man last month. The indictment came on a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide. Trooper Larry Norman shot Joseph Erin Hamley on March 7 along U.S. 412 just east of Tontitown. Norman and other officers on the scene thought Hamley was a Michigan escapee who had eluded police for two days. It is not clear when a trial will be set for Norman, who has been on leave from the state police since the shooting. Norman thought Hamley was reaching for a gun when he shot the Springdale man with a shotgun across two lanes of traffic, according to state police accounts. Norman was the last of six officers who responded to the scene. It didn't take long for the 10-man, six-woman jury to come to a decision. Thursday was the group's sixth meeting in the case. The jury didn't interview anyone in the case in person, but instead reviewed and reviewed an investigation by Robin Green, Benton County prosecuting attorney. The jury also visited the shooting scene on Monday. The median age of grand jury members is 50 years, according to court records. Two men are 71, including the foreman, and the youngest is 22. Fourteen of the jurors are married, including the 22-year-old. Three have college degrees, including a doctorate in anthropology. Five are retired, two teach and two are self employed. There also is a youth minister among them. In this case, Green spent almost two weeks investigating, interviewing Norman, five other officers who were on the scene and other undisclosed persons. Recordings of those interviews are available to the grand jury. After she completed her investigation, Green asked Circuit Judge David Clinger to convene a grand jury, saying she wanted the decision about whether to indict Norman to be "in the hands of the people." |
