Miami Police Chief To Meet With Families Of Men Killed By Officers

MIAMI (CBS4) -- Miami's embattled police chief plans to meet privately with the families of seven men who were shot and killed by Miami police officers since early last year. All but two of the men were armed.

"The chief hopes to give the families a little bit of closure," said Cmdr. Delrish Moss, spokesperson for the Miami Police Department. "Those are the people who are most important here getting answers first. We'll talk to them, and when the time allows, we'll talk to the public at large."

Moss says Chief Miguel Exposito will reveal some details about the shootings and outline how police shooting investigations unfold. Exposito will meet first with relatives of DeCarlos Moore, who was shot to death during a traffic stop in Overtown in July. Moore had been ordered to walk toward police, but then unexpectedly ran back to his car. Investigators believe the shooting officer thought tin foil in Moore's hand, glinting in the sunlight, may have been mistaken for a weapon.

Community activists have been calling for the Chief's resignation after the string of police-involved shootings and lack of information. Miami-Dade County prosecutors are still reviewing the shootings to determine whether the officers broke any laws.

Miami City Manager Tony Crapp has hired former FBI official Paul Philip to review the police department's performance under Exposito.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP last week asked the city's Civilian Investigative Panel to investigate the department, saying the rate of fatal officer-involved shootings far exceeds other major cities.

Last year, Miami Mayor Tómas Regalado and Commissioner Richard P. Dunn began criticizing Exposito for a lack of "transparency" in talking about the fatal officer-involved shootings. Exposito had attended several community meetings, but consistently declined to talk about the shootings in detail, deferring to prosecutors.

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