• View Comments
• Share with Shortlink:

Five

police officers from Orange, New

Jersey are finally facing Federal charges in connection with the

beating death of Earl Faison, a man they beat to death in a case

of mistaken identity. Faison, who was an up and coming rapper,

was beaten, robbed and pepper sprayed by the five officers, who

were seeking revenge for the shooting death of another officer.

The five officers, Lt. Thomas Smith, Brian Smith, Andrew Garth,

Tyrone Payton and Paul Carpinteri Jr. were arrested this morning

and charged with civil rights violations for the incident, which

occurred April 11, 1999.

The indictment was

unsealed today, and also charges that the officers spent months

trying to cover up their actions. According to the indictment,

they spotted Faison walking down the street. They threw him to

the ground, cuffed his hands behind his back, and beat him. Officer

Payton allegedly pulled out his gun, but it to Faison’s head,

and went through his pockets, tossing his money to a fellow Officer,

and telling him to give it to the slain police Officer’s family.

They then took Faison to a car, and beat him all the way to Police

headquarters, where the attack ended in a stairwell.

The officers doused

pepper spray directly into his nose and mouth. An autopsy found

that Faison died from an Asthma attack. Attorneys for the simply

said "I wish the government had spent as much time in finding

the killer as it has on this case.”