LOS ANGELES : Sgt. Koon Testifies in Suit Alleging Police Cover-Up

Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, the supervising officer during the police beating of Rodney G. King, testified Thursday in a lawsuit brought by a South Los Angeles man who said he was mistakenly shot and spent nearly a year in jail after a scheme orchestrated by police to cover up the incident.

The lawsuit filed against the city, former Police Chief Daryl F. Gates and 15 officers claims that John Shelton Jr.’s rights were violated when he was shot in the chest by Officer Robert Richards, a 15-year veteran, on July 22, 1989, in an alley near Broadway and Florence Avenue. Richards said that Shelton, a robbery suspect, had a gun, but no weapon was found.

Attorney John C. Burton, who represents Shelton in the federal district court trial, said Koon masterminded the cover-up, telling officers at the scene what to write in their reports. In testimony during the case, Koon said he remembered very little about the incident. Thomas J. Feeley, Koon’s attorney, said his client is innocent and that his actions were appropriate.