Springdale : Motorists give details in shooting by trooper
Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006
SPRINGDALE — A dozen motorists have come forward with information on what they saw the morning Arkansas State Trooper Larry Norman fatally shot Joseph Erin Hamley, state police said Monday.
Investigators spent the weekend talking to the new witnesses, all of whom provided details about the March 7 interaction between Hamley and the officers, state police Lt. Lance King said Monday.
“All of that information is being added as part of the file,” King said. The names of the witnesses or details about what they saw were not released Monday.
State police expect to release their investigative file to Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Robin Green on Wednesday, King said.
He said state police will not release the file to the public until an internal investigation is completed, which could take up to a month.
Norman, one of five officers at the scene, shot 21-year-old Hamley, who was mentally and physically handicapped, about 7 a. m. as he walked along U. S. 412 near the Benton-Washington county line after the officers mistook him for a Michigan fugitive. Police were dispatched to the area after two motorists reported seeing a man who looked like Leadford walking along the highway.
On Friday, state police officials said there was a four-minute time span between when officers first approached Hamley and when the shot was fired. All of the officers had their guns drawn on Hamley when the shooting occurred, King said. State police officials have said Hamley was not armed.
Norman remains on administrative leave with pay pending the internal investigation.
State police investigators have not determined how Hamley — who lived with his mother in central Springdale — got so far from home. There were no reports of a suspicious man being seen in other locations, officials said.
“How he got there is not germane to our investigation, but we would like to know,” said Sgt. Steve Coppinger, the lead investigator on the case. “We have not had any phone calls from people saying they saw him walking or that he hitched a ride.”
On Friday, state police officials apologized to Hamley’s family for mistaking him for a fugitive. They said nothing in Hamley’s behavior that morning indicated to police that he was mentally or physically handicapped.
State police have not released specific details on why officers believed Hamley was Adam Leadford, a Michigan man wanted for escaping from a prison boot camp.
Leadford, 18, was considered “armed and dangerous” and was also wanted for leading Rogers police on a chase March 5.
He was shot March 7 at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Springdale by a Springdale police officer after leading police and sheriff’s deputies on a chase from Benton County.
Leadford was listed in fair condition at the Northwest Medical Center of Washington County in Springdale on Monday.
More than 18 family members and friends of Hamley — many still dressed in the clothes they wore to his funeral — attended Monday’s news conference.
Sean Hamley, Erin’s older brother, said the family is hoping the investigative file will provide answers.
“We’re just waiting to see that file,” Hamley said.
Denise Allen, Hamley’s oldest sister, said she and the other family members would continue to press for information until they learn all the details about what happened when her brother was killed.
“My family does not want those events to happen to anyone again,” Allen said after Monday’s news conference.
“We’re going to continue to ask questions.”
SAYING GOODBYE About 150 people attended Hamley’s funeral Monday at Sisco Funeral Chapel in Springdale. The pews were full, and people stood against the back wall. An anonymous donor paid for the funeral, said Charles Farmer, Sisco general manager. “He’s just somebody who was touched by the tragedy and wanted to help,” Farmer said. “He has no connection to Erin or the family.” Hamley graduated in 2003 from Springdale High School, where he was in special education classes. Hamley was a fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Springdale High School Bulldogs. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Springdale. Jerry Mayes, pastor at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, read a poem called “A Special Child.” Mayes said Hamley’s mother wanted him to read the poem about raising a handicapped child. “I surmise no one can know the love of a mother or know the way you loved him, Mary,” Mayes said.
TROOPER’S UNEASE Norman is undergoing stress debriefing to help him deal with the aftermath of the shooting, King said. Before he can return to work, Norman will have to be cleared by the Benton County prosecutor’s office and his own department. That process can take weeks, King said.
“He’s not doing very good at all,” King said.
“He’s completely tormented by this whole thing, and he’s having problems sleeping and eating.”
The shooting is not the only thing Norman and his family has dealt with in recent weeks.
Norman’s older brother, Rick, was sentenced on March 3 to life in prison without parole for killing a third brother, Greg Norman, in 2001, the Springfield (Mo. ) News-Leader reported. Larry Norman testified in his brother’s January murder trial about disputes the siblings had over their father’s estate. He testified Rick Norman denied killing Greg Norman shortly before the body was found. King declined to comment on the incident Monday. Information from this article was contributed by Michelle Bradford of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
To contact this reporter: scrawford@arkansasonline. com
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