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Jun 19, 2009 11:42 pm US/Eastern
Exclusive: Groups Protest SOBE Shooting
EXCLUSIVE: Watch The Unedited Surveillance Video Of The Shooting In The Video Player On The Right Hand Side
MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) ―
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Paramedics work on Husien Shehada on the sidewalk at the entrance to the bar Twist on Washington Avenue.
Courtesy: Edwin Escoboza
About a dozen members organized by an Arab-American group held a rally in front of the Miami Beach Police department Friday night in the wake of last weekend's deadly shooting of a tourist from Virginia; they want answers and they want accountability on behalf of the police department.
The group was demanding the department release surveillance video of the shooting to the public and they also want the officer to be jailed while the police department's internal affairs office investigates the shooting. The group also demands that an independent investigation be carried out by someone other than internal affairs and the state attorney's office.
The Palestinian-American tourist who died is 29-year-old Husien Shehada, who was reportedly shot by a Miami Beach police officer around 4 a.m. Sunday in front of Twist nightclub on 11th Street and Washington Avenue. His family says Shehada, who was visiting from Virginia, was not armed, but police paint another picture.
Police said they got a call about two men fitting the description of Husien and his brother Samir Shehada walking around near the club with guns.
When both men were stopped by a Miami Beach police officer, they were "very clearly" ordered to show their hands, but they did not, according to Club Twist security guard Derek Reynolds as he stated in a police report obtained by CBS4 news partner
The Miami Herald.
Reynolds further said in the report that Husien tried to reach "for something he was concealing" and that's when the officer opened fire. A second security guard at the club also told police the brothers failed to comply with the officers' order to surrender.
The surveillance video that the protestors are requesting be released to the public was acquired by CBS4 through the victim's attorney John Contini. The video shows the brothers walk into the frame and then they turn and walk to the edge of the curve. You eventually see one of them get shot and fall out of the frame.
The Herald reported Friday that according to law enforcement sources, Shehada may have concealed an empty beer bottle under his shirt that appeared to some passers-by to be a gun, which sparked several 911 calls about an armed man on the street.
Those sources told The Herald that when Shehada appeared to reach for the concealed object, it prompted the unidentified patrolman to open fire.
The family attorney showed up at the crime scene Thursday afternoon, where he said Husien was "executed" after being surrounded by seven Miami Beach police officers.
"He was walking down the street with his brother and he was surrounded by the seven officers who yelled at him to put his hands up," said Contini. "And they were cursing. We're outraged. Obviously it is not safe for people to come to South Beach because of the chance that they'll be executed, frankly. It was nothing but an execution. He had no gun."
Officer Adam Tavss was involved in Shehada's shooting and was placed on administrative leave—per standard procedure—but was cleared to be back on the job Thursday. Tavss is now back on administrative leave along with Officer Frank Celestre after being involved in another fatal shooting of a civilian late Thursday night in the MacArthur Causeway.
"The Shehada brothers made the mistake of believing they were safe on the sidewalk of a popular South Beach street, not far from where Versace, the internationally renowned designer was murdered. But the real irony is the police presence might have contributed to their feelings of safety, at least up until the very same police opened fire," said Contini.
Contini said the brothers were vacationing in South Florida with their girlfriends.
"Their dream vacation turned into a nightmare. Instead of being up front about their horrific mistake, the Miami Beach Police department appears to be engaging in a cover up," said Contini.
Samir was arrested the night his brother died after he was accused of hitting his girlfriend. According to The Herald, Samir's girlfriend denies that she was struck by Samir. The Shehada family just can't understand how this all happened.
Miami Beach police have released little information on the incident, including the officer's name, which was finally revealed Friday night.
The Miami Beach Police Department's Internal Affairs unit and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office are investigating the shooting.
A prominent Arab rights group, The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, has also questioned whether the shooting was racially motivated. They say police asked witnesses whether Husien was "Arabic," or if he was speaking Arabic.
CBS4 News has requested a copy of the police report and the identity of the officer involved in the shooting along with any 911 calls that may have been made from the area around the club that night.
Friday's vigil was organized by the South Florida Palestine Solidarity Network along with other groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace-South Florida.
CBS4'S Peter D'Oench & Tiffani Helberg contributed to this report.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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