Ngo overboard

The Star Tribune reported today that the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that former-undercover cop, Duy Ngo, was able to continue his suit against the MPD to a jury trial, under the premise that his Constitutional rights were violated. By being shot! With a submachine gun! By another cop!

The gist of what happened is that Ngo was working undercover when he was shot twice by a suspect. He called for backup. When the first cop arrived Ngo was kneeling under a streetlight waving both arms in the air.

That first cop happened to be Charles Storlie, the same cop who shot unarmed 15-year-old Lawrence Miles Jr. in 1997. (He was also involved in the famous punk "Bombshelter Riot" in July of that same year. According to the Star Tribune he's currently working "private security" in the Middle East. Nice.)

Storlie proceeded to draw his submachine gun and deposit somewhere between 4 and 8 bullets in Ngo. The fact that no one seems to have conclusive information as to the number of bullets he was shot with merely reflects the corruption and stonewalling that defined the MPD investigation into the incident.

The police are trying to get this investigation over with and out of the news. It will likely end with a multi-million dollar settlement from the city, of course with a non-disclosure clause. To protect Storlie, who has been in trouble multiple times, the MPD will through Ngo overboard. The message is that people of color can expect consistent brutality and disregard from local police, even if you're a cop.