Nation in brief: Officers admit shooting woman
Two police officers pleaded guilty Thursday to manslaughter in the shooting death of a 92-year-old woman during a botched drug raid last fall. A third officer still faces charges in the woman’s death.
Officer J.R. Smith told the judge Thursday he regretted what had happened.
“I’m sorry,” the 35-year-old said, his voice barely audible. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, violation of oath, criminal solicitation, making false statements and perjury, which was based on untrue claims in a warrant.
Former Officer Gregg Junnier, 40, who retired from the Atlanta police force in January, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, violation of oath, criminal solicitation and making false statements. Both men are expected to face more than 10 years in prison.
The charges followed a Nov. 21 “no-knock” drug raid on the home of Kathryn Johnston, 92. An informant had described buying drugs from a dealer there, police said. When the officers burst in without warning, Johnston fired at them, and they fired back, killing her.
CONCORD, N.H.
State set to offer civil unions
New Hampshire is set to become the fourth state to offer civil unions for gay couples with legislation approved Thursday and sent to Gov. John Lynch, who has said he would sign it.
“This legislation is a matter of conscience, fairness and of preventing discrimination,” said governor’s spokesman Colin Manning. “It is in keeping with New Hampshire’s proud tradition of preventing discrimination.”
The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the bill 14-10 along party lines.New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont already offer civil unions for gay couples. Neighboring Massachusetts in 2004 became the only state to allow gay marriage.
Unlike other states, there was no active court challenge to push New Hampshire to act on the issue.
WASHINGTON
Bad pork may be in food supply
Several hundred of the 6,000 hogs that may have eaten contaminated pet food are believed to have entered the food supply for humans, the government said Thursday. The potential risk to human health was said to be very low.
The government told the three states involved it would not allow meat from any of the hogs that ate the feed to enter the food supply.
No more than 345 hogs from farms in California, New York and South Carolina are involved, according to the Agriculture Department. It appears the large majority of the hogs that may have been exposed are still on the farms where they are being raised, spokeswoman Nicol Andrews said.
Salvaged pet food from companies known or suspected of using a tainted ingredient was shipped to hog farms in seven states for use as feed.