Yuseff Hamadeh, Officer Who Shot At African-American Man During Traffic Stop, Fired

A Louisiana police officer who shot at a civilian in August, claiming the man had fired his gun first, was fired from the department Thursday. The termination came following an administrative investigation into the incident involving former officer Yuseff Hamadeh who shot at Raheem Howard, an African-American man, during a traffic stop Aug. 7.

Howard had been stopped by Hamadeh because he was missing a license plate, but he fled the scene. Hamadeh chased him down through the neighborhood, finally cornering him inside a resident’s house and firing a shot at him. No one was injured in the incident.

Hamadeh, who served the Street Crimes Unit of Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) for the past two years, was placed on paid leave while the department conducted an internal investigation into the incident. Soon after, he was placed on restricted duty till he was fired.

The criminal investigation into the shooting was turned over to East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office. On Thursday, president of the Baton Rouge Police Union expressed his disappointment at Hamadeh’s departure in a statement.

“The members of Baton Rouge Union of Police are disappointed in the decision rendered relative to the Administrative Investigation of Officer Yuseff Hamadeh. Our members are further disappointed that political pressure continues to play such a substantial role in their careers.”

“To be clear, our Union has always and will always stand for accountability and the highest standards for our Officers. Facts, not special interests, should be the determining factor. The fact that our Officers are leaving at an alarming rate should not be a surprise to those paying attention.”

After Hamadeh claimed he returned fire because Howard fired first, the latter was arrested. While being taken into police custody, Howard defended himself, saying he was not armed at the time of the shooting and that he did not fire his gun at the former officer.

During the investigation into the shooting, the police department found that Hamadeh’s body cam was off during the incident, as well as his front-facing dash cam. In addition, his rear dash cam was facing downward. It is against the BRPD’s policy for on-duty officers not to activate their body camera during both traffic stops and chases.

The rear-view camera did record the audio of the incident, where only a single gunshot could be heard, which was later determined to be from Hamadeh’s gun. Investigators also failed to find the weapon the former officer claimed Howard was carrying at the time, ABC-affiliate WBRZ reported.

Also, of the multiple witnesses from the scene who were interviewed as part of the investigation, not a single one backed up Hamadeh's claim of two shots having been fired. In light of all the evidence, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office said all charges against Howard would be dropped.

According to the Advocate, after Hamadeh was fired, Howard's attorney, Ronald Haley Jr. said: “I am pleased with the results of, at least the initial investigation. This is only the next step for justice in this case. ... We want to see criminal prosecution in here. We are going to demand that degree of justice."

The former officer’s lawyer, Ashton “Tommy” Dewey said he was “disappointed by the result” and that his client planned to appeal the termination with the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board, CBS-affiliate WAFB reported.