Update in Chesapeake

Supporters of Ryan Frederick play to rally on Feb. 23 outside the Chesapeake Correctional Center where he's being held.

There's also now a fund for his legal defense, though you have to wade through some MySpace crap to get to it. Looks like they've raised about $1,000 so far.

Also, something raised on a local libertarian blog that I hadn't noticed:

Most damningly, the inventory reports that 3 shell casing were recovered, 2 .380 ACP casings and one .223 casing. Frederick had a .380 pistol, but no AR-15 or other rifle to account for the .223. Police often carry such rifles in SWAT type actions.

The police have made no statement admitting that one of their officers fired a shot, nor has any explanation for that rifle casing been offered. It would be no surprise, and no indication of additional wrongdoing, if one of the officers fired his weapon in the course of the incident, so why let these weeks go by with that casing unexplained? The result is that something that might well be entirely reasonable takes a on sinister appearance. Further, posts on the Virginian Pilot blogs pointing out that irregularity have been quickly removed, adding to the appearance of a cover-up and eroding our trust in the Pilot as well.

If there is nothing wrong about that .223 round, then doggedly refusing to address its existence creates the impression that there is. Who fired that shot, and where did it go?

Odd too that the Pilot would remove those posts. I think the paper's coverage thus far has been pretty good.

Prior posts on the Frederick case here.