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CNN Sunday Morning

Cincinnati Considers Lifting Curfew

Aired April 15, 2001 - 07:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI and police are investigating allegations of unprovoked violence after an emotional funeral in racially tense Cincinnati. Officers fired bean-bag ammunition into a small group of people yesterday, and it happened after the funeral for a black man whose shooting was -- shooting by a white policeman sparked a lot of violent protest. Otherwise, police say the streets of Cincinnati were pretty quiet last night.

CNN's Bob Franken was out on the streets and following this story -- continuing to do so; he's in Cincinnati.

Good morning, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

And CNN cameras were there just moments after witnesses say police, unprovoked, fired the bean-bag bullets from their shotguns. They're designed to cause some pain, but not to do anything lethal -- fired at a woman -- a 34-year-old woman from Louisville, Kentucky who was hit twice. If you can see, she -- the video will shot that she was hit once in the back and once in the neck. She was taken to a hospital where she was treated for bruises, but it was nothing more serious than that; she was released. Also, a young child who was nearby was also hit by a bean-bag bullet.

Now, witnesses say that they were just walking away from funeral services for 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, doing nothing when police suddenly, unprovoked -- according to the witnesses -- decided to fire the bean-bag bullets as they were walking toward a rally that was being held several blocks away. That rally, by the way, went without incident although for a while there was a confrontation with police.

All of this followed the funeral service for the 19-year old unarmed black man who had been shot and killed in the neighborhood just a week before. That incident had caused riots -- not rioting, but violence against police. Police who, in fact, were accused of oftentimes shooting African-Americans and otherwise having very difficult relations with the African-American community.

Now, the curfew continued in Cincinnati overnight. There were several arrests but, for the most part, the streets were clear, there was no violence. As a matter of fact, city officials are saying they're contemplating, after tonight, getting rid of the curfew and seeing if the city can settle down. And then, they say, they promise to deal with the problems that have bedeviled the city for a long time between the police department and the African-American community -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Bob Franken, thanks so much.

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