Autopsy Shows Cops Shot Miriam Carey Five Times From Behind
Six months ago, Capitol police shot and killed Miriam Carey after the mother, accompanied by her one-year-old daughter, allegedly tried to ram a checkpoint at the White House before speeding off and leading cops on a chase toward the Capitol building. Reports of shots fired on Capitol Hill resulted in media coverage focusing on a potential shooting in the nation's capital. A photo of an officer being loaded into a helicopter was captioned by the Associated Press as a "victim from a shooting." The photo was actually of a Capitol police officer being medevac'd after crashing into a barricade while chasing Carey. Carey was the only victim of a shooting on October 3, 2013.
Initial reports indicated police fired at Carey's vehicle five to ten times. An autopsy now reveals she was hit five times, all from behind. Via CNN:
The office of the District of Columbia medical examiner said in the autopsy that one round struck Carey in the left side of the back of her head, and she was also hit three times in the back and once in her left arm. The report didn't determine in what sequence Carey was hit.
Toxicology tests determined Carey didn't have alcohol or drugs in her blood.
Her family has questioned since the day of the incident whether shooting Carey was the only way to end the chase, which went through the heart of the nation's capital.
[Family attorney Eric] Sanders said on Tuesday that Carey's family members still feel police should have considered other options. The autopsy only "confirms what we said. It was unjustified."
Carey's sister filed a $75 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Secret Service and the Capitol Police earlier this year.
Court documents related to the killing of Carey largely remain sealed. According to a public information officer with the Capitol Police, the shooting remains under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.