Latino Man held in killing of Providence detective may have been Brutalized by Cops

FBI seeks meetings with R.I. police on slay suspect's arrest [more]
A suspect accused of killing a detective with the officer's own gun appeared in court with a white mask covering the lower half of his face, which was bruised and swollen. Police say Esteban Carpio killed James Allen while being questioned at police headquarters Sunday and was injured in a failed escape attempt. But Carpio's family shrieked when he shuffled into a courtroom Monday for his arraignment with his hands and legs shackled. "Oh, my God, look what they did to him!" somebody yelled. Carpio's mother and another woman were wrestled out of the courtroom as they screamed about police brutality. Authorities said Carpio jumped out of a third-floor window, injuring his leg, arm and head, and was captured after a struggle a few blocks away. There was no indication that police used excessive force to subdue him, Police Chief Dean Esserman said. Carpio, 26, nodded his head to respond to questions during his arraignment, but did not speak, except to say "I love you, Mom," as he was led out of the courtroom. Carpio was wearing the mask, called a spit shield, as a precaution, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Joy Fox said. The shields are used when a prisoner is bleeding or if there are concerns he might be combative, she said. He had been taken in for questioning about the stabbing of an elderly woman when the detective was killed. Carpio's family said he had recently been experiencing mental problems. No charges have been filed in the stabbing of the 84-year-old woman, and Carpio remains a suspect, Esserman said. The woman was expected to recover. [more]

• Pictured above: Esteban Carpio, 26, left, is shown during his arraignment hearing Monday, April 18, 2005, at Providence District Court in Providence, R.I. Carpio was charged with killing Detective James Allen with the officer's own gun during questioning at police headquarters Sunday and was ordered held without bail Monday. His face is obscured by a white mask. Police have said he injured his leg, arm and head when he jumped from a third-floor window at the police building.  The police said Allen was alone in a conference room when Esteban Carpio, who was not handcuffed or restrained, got control of the detective's gun and shot him. [more]

NAACP deliberates what to do about Carpio's treatment
The city's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will meet to decide how to proceed with questions about police treatment of Esteban Carpio. "I just want people to know that we're not sleeping, and we're not insensitive to the public's requests to investigate what happened with the suspect," Clifford Montiero, president of the NAACP's Providence chapter, said yesterday. Montiero said he had received "dozens" of phone calls from all over the United States since Carpio's arrest early Sunday. Montiero urged NAACP members around the country to contact their branch presidents if they're concerned about the Providence branch's reaction. The chapter posted a statement on its Web site yesterday extending sympathy to Allen's family, the Providence Police Department and law-enforcement officers nationwide. The Providence Journal (Rhode Island) April 20, 2005