DATE: Wednesday, September 24, 1997         TAG: 9709240439

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEWIS KRAUSKOPF, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:  100 lines

NO INDICTMENT FOR OFFICERS WHO SHOT KNIFE-WIELDING WOMAN CHESAPEAKE POLICE PLAN THEIR OWN STUDY OF AUG. 22 INCIDENT.

Commonwealth's Attorney Larry D. Willis said Tuesday he will not prosecute police officers who shot and wounded a Fernwood Shores woman last month after she cut two officers with a steak knife.

In a letter sent Monday to Police Chief Richard A. Justice, Willis wrote that the four officers ``used restraint in dealing with (Carlett) Karim'' and were justified in using deadly force to subdue her.

The Police Department will soon begin an internal investigation into the incident that will take about two weeks to complete, said spokesman Dave Hughes. The investigation will concern violations of department policy and will not involve criminal charges, Hughes said.

Mayor William E. Ward declined to comment on Willis' report, saying it was premature because of other investigations that had not been completed.

On Aug. 26, Ward called for City Council oversight of the investigation, promising that a cover-up would not take place. On Sept. 9, however, he apologized for his comments, saying that he ``may have sent the wrong signal'' in questioning police action.

March Cromuel, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Monday he would meet with the FBI today to discuss the possibility of a federal investigation into the incident. Cromuel said the NAACP would not be satisfied with Willis' findings or an internal police probe.

In an interview Tuesday, Willis said his conclusions were influenced by the fact that numerous residents said Karim was mentally unstable at the time and had already used a deadly weapon twice.

Willis' two-page report describes the Aug. 22 incident based on interviews with 18 witnesses, including the four officers involved and Fernwood Shores residents. The report, Willis wrote, ``while facially involving only the officer who actually fired shots, addresses the action of all four officers at the scene.''

Fernwood Shores residents interviewed Tuesday challenged parts of Willis' report.

According to the report, ``(Karim) looked at officers 3 and 4 and then, with knife raised, threatened the officers again and advanced towards them. When she was 2 to 3 feet away, one of the officers fired twice, striking Ms. Karim in the left chest/shoulder area and ending the encounter.''

But Fernwood Shores resident Erma Morgan - who said she witnessed the incident and was contacted by Willis, but never spoke with him - said Karim did not threaten or advance toward the officers, but rather stumbled toward them.

Morgan, who lives in the 500 block of Fernwood Farms Road, said Karim was about 10 feet away from the officers when she was shot. ``They were not justified,'' Morgan said. ``They didn't have to shoot her.''

Luther Twine Jr., who also lives in the 500 block of Fernwood Farms Road, disagreed with Willis' description, saying, ``It wasn't no 2 or 3 feet away. It was farther than that - at least 10 to 15 feet away.''

Twine, who said Willis interviewed him last week, said Karim was not threatening the officers. He questioned why other methods, such as the use of pepper spray, were not used to subdue the woman.

Willis' report concludes that the ``use of chemical spray or police baton would not have been appropriate in this incident based upon the proximity of Ms. Karim to the officers and her possession of and recent use of a deadly weapon.''

Nathaniel Harris, a Fernwood Shores resident who knows Karim, questioned that conclusion. Harris, who said Willis interviewed him over the weekend, said one of the officers was holding his baton and could have used it to control Karim. Instead, Harris said, the officer put the baton away and drew his gun.

Willis' report says that two officers arrived at Fernwood Farms Road in response to a 911 call and found Karim, bloody and partially dressed, holding a steak knife and a bowling pin.

Police and several witnesses asked Karim to drop the knife, the report says, but she didn't, and ``in two brief but separate encounters was able to cut both officers.''

The first officer fell into a ditch, the report says, while the second grabbed Karim's wrist and attempted to disarm her, ``but failed when the officer's hand slipped off due to the blood on Ms. Karim's arm.''

The two officers followed Karim down the street, and were joined by the two other officers.

Soon after, Willis wrote, Karim advanced toward the officers and was shot.

Willis' report said there was considerable discrepancy among the witnesses as how long the incident lasted and how many shots were fired. Estimates of the time ranged from five minutes to an hour and a half. He concluded that the incident took between 10 and 15 minutes, and that two shots were fired.

Hughes said that the officer who shot Karim, who has been on administrative leave since the incident, is now eligible to return to work. Police have refused to identify the officer.

According to police reports, those at the scene Aug. 22 were officers V.L. Blake, C.F. Esslinger, L.K. Goldsmith and C.D. Wittstruck.

Officer Michael A. Rushak, the president of the Chesapeake chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said Tuesday that Willis' report brought resolution to the incident.

``It should be looked at as an unbiased investigation, and the public should look at it as unbiased results,'' Rushak said.

Karim faces two charges of malicious wounding and one count of attempted malicious wounding. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 3. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Commonwealth's Attorney Larry D. Willis KEYWORDS: ASSAULT STABBING SHOOTING

CHESAPEAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT INQUIRY ARREST

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