Mar 27, 2007 10:34 pm US/Eastern
Park Ranger Indicted In N.J. Indian Tribe Shooting
HACKENSACK (CBS/AP) ―
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Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation members were very upset following the shooting of a member by a N.J. State Park Police officer back in April of 2006.
CBS
A state park police officer was indicted Tuesday on reckless manslaughter charges for fatally shooting a member of the Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation last April on a mountain near the New York border.
The indictment, announced by Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli after a three-month inquiry by the county's grand jury, charges first-year park officer Chad Walder in the death of Emil Mann.
Molinelli said a trial could begin in 18 months at the earliest.
Mann's cousin, Otis Mann, was also indicted on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disarming a police officer.
Emil Mann, 45, of Monroe, N.Y., was shot three times in chest and legs during the confrontation. He died April 10.
Four officers had gone to a wooded area of Mahwah on April 1 to crack down on people riding all-terrain vehicles, which Mann and others from the tribe had been doing during a family picnic.
Officers chased Otis Mann, who was driving an ATV, and the fight ensued.
Ramapough tribe members say the use of deadly force was not justified. They contend that Emil Mann was trying to break up the fight and approached the scene with his hands in the air, palms raised.
Walder's lawyer said the officer was acting in self-defense and feared that Mann was going to grab his gun. Attorney Robert Galantucci said Walder was disappointed with the grand jury's decision and was looking forward to clearing his name in the trial.
Shortly after the shooting, Gov. Jon S. Corzine met with Ramapough leaders and promised an investigation into the killing. He also appointed a commission to study issues affecting American Indian communities in New Jersey, including housing, employment and health care.
Walder has been suspended without pay due to the indictment, said Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the park police.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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