White Officer Guilty in Black Child’s Shooting
A suspended white policeman was convicted Monday of a misdemeanor for shooting a 6-year-old black child in the knee.
Williams Beals Jr., 48, pleaded no contest to negligent assault, and the judge then found him guilty. Beals claimed that his gun discharged accidentally as he scolded two boys who were throwing rocks into his pool.
The shooting July 17 stirred racial tensions, and two weeks later someone burned down Beals’ home. Police have made no arrests.
Beals faces up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine when he is sentenced May 9. He had been charged with felonious assault, which carried a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison.
Beals, a 25-year police veteran with the suburban community of Oregon, was off duty during the shooting. He was suspended from the force with pay, and Police Chief Mark Venia recommended that he be fired. An arbitrator will decide the case.
Meanwhile, the boy’s family is suing Beals, Oregon and Venia, seeking $4 million in damages.
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