Posted on July 6, 2011 at 5:12 PM
Updated Wednesday, Jul 6 at 5:23 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- The police officer at the wheel of a truck used during the Danziger Bridge shooting gave a first-hand account Wednesday of what happened during the incident.
Former Officer Michael Hunter testified for the prosecution and described in detail his actions and those of his fellow officers in that shooting of unarmed civilians just days after Hurricane Katrina.
He also provided an inside look on the cover-up that followed. Hunter said he got into the driver’s seat of the budget rental truck with his personal AK-47 as he and other officers responded to a call that someone was shooting at officers at the Danziger Bridge.
Hunter said when they pulled up to the bridge, he fired warning shots and people began to run away. Then he started running to the west side of the bridge firing at several people.
“Why did you fire at people running away?” asked prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein.
“I wasn’t thinking straight, being stupid. I thought these people shot at cops -- that they had the audacity to shoot at us while there was chaos in the city. I wanted to send a message: ‘don’t shoot at us,’” Hunter said.
"The prosecutor in this case, Bernstein, reiterated over and over again of Michael Hunter, 'Did you ever see any weapons? Were any of these people threats to you?'" said Eyewitness News legal analyst and former prosecutor Donald "Chick" Foret.
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