
Former West Memphis police officer Erik Sammis is firing back at the attorney representing DeAunta Farrow's mother. Sammis shot and killed Farrow in June 2007, after he said he thought Farrow was holding a gun. An investigation later revealed the gun was a toy gun.
Sammis wrote a letter to the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, claiming that during the Farrow shooting investigation, attorney Javier Bailey tampered with evidence, manipulated witnesses and unfairly portrayed Sammis as a racist. The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility oversees and disciplines all attorneys in the state of Tennessee.
The letter states that Bailey made these actions in hopes of influencing a grand jury. Sammis says Bailey claimed to take a bag of chips and a soda from near the area where Farrow was shot. Bailey has previously stated that Farrow was not holding a toy gun, but was holding a bag of chips and a soda. Sammis says state investigators asked Bailey to hand over that evidence repeatedly or somehow prove he had it, but never did so.
Sammis also says he believes Bailey coached his key witness, Unseld Nance. Nance was Farrow's cousin and was with him the night Farrow was shot. Sammis believes Bailey told Nance to lie about what happened the night of the shooting. Sammis says Nance told Arkansas State investigators immediately after the shooting, that Farrow did have a toy gun in one of his hands.
Sammis also states that Bailey lied about a medical examiner's report, saying Farrow was first shot in the back of the leg, indicating he was running away from police. Sammis says he testified the first shot was to the chest, and nowhere in the medical examiner's report does it say Farrow was shot first in the back of the leg.
Sammis says Bailey also lied about his officer's personnel file, saying Sammis had been fired from a former police department for use of excessive force. Sammis says this is not true.
Eyewitness News Everywhere has learned Sammis is also filing a complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Justice Department, the Arkansas State Police and the West Memphis Police Internal Affairs Bureau have cleared Sammis of any wrongdoing in this case. Sammis resigned from the West Memphis Police Department in December 2007.
What do you think? It's your turn to Speak Up! Memphis.