No ‘happily ever after’

Police chief Tim Dolan is continuing to deny allegations that a gun was planted on Fong Lee, saying that lawyers are spinning a “fairy tale” and that the evidence is “overwhelming” that Lee had a gun. Lee was a 19-year-old man who ran from the police after a police cruiser knocked him off his bicycle.  Police fired nine times; Lee was hit eight times.  A gun was recovered at the site, but curiously had no fingerprints or no DNA evidence.

Yeah, it’s cold in Minnesota.  But not cold enough in July to wear gloves.  It is undisputed that Lee was barehanded at the time of his death.

The gun recovered at the site was traced to a Minnesota man, Dang Her, who had reported it stolen.  However, Her stated in an affidavit that he had been contacted by the police and told the gun had been recovered shortly after the theft.  He states it was not returned to him.  It was reportedly in police custody at the time of the shooting.

What does the police department say?  They were confused between this gun and another.  They never recovered Dang Her’s gun.  Shortly after the shooting, Lt. Fossum wrote a supplementary report “explaining” that the gun had been confused with another gun.

Got all that?  The gun they recovered is now said to be an FNH 7.65 caliber semiautomatic.  And according to the police, that gun was registered to Tong Vue.  One problem:  Tong Vue says he never owned such a gun, never reported a theft and has not been in contact with the police department.  The police department claims he must have reported the gun stolen, because otherwise why would they have his personal information?

In addition, Dolan continues to insist that the police officers involved in the shooting are heroes:

“This is good police work. This is heroic police work. They’re chasing an armed gang member with a gun and nothing more,” Dolan said. “Obviously, there’s a financial goal for the attorneys for Fong Lee.”

My opinion differs from Chief Dolan’s, because I don’t think that a young man’s death is a result of “good police work.” And the video of Lee (no gun in evidence), the lack of fingerprints and the supplementary report on the “mistaken” gun don’t encourage my faith in the police. There’s definitely a story being spun here. But it’s not going to end happily ever after.

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