FBI to head investigation into suspect's treatment
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- The FBI will lead an investigation into the arrest and detention of a man accused of killing a Providence police officer amid allegations that police used excessive force, authorities said Friday.
Esteban Carpio, 26, was arrested Sunday, a few blocks from Providence Police headquarters, where he allegedly shot Detective Sgt. James Allen to death with Allen's service weapon. The following day, he appeared in court, his face swollen and badly bruised.
His family accused police of beating Carpio, and the New England organization of NAACP chapters called on the FBI to investigate the matter.
The FBI will be aided in its investigation by the Providence Police Department and Rhode Island State Police, the agencies said. Representatives from all three agencies were involved in Carpio's arrest. They said there would be a complete and thorough review, but did not say how long the probe was expected to last.
The announcement comes after Police Chief Dean Esserman met Friday morning with Col. Steven Pare, head of the State Police, and Kenneth Kaiser, special agent in charge for the FBI's Boston field office to discuss the case.
None of the men would comment immediately after the meeting.
At his arraignment Monday, Carpio's eyes were black and blue, swollen to slits, and he appeared to be oozing blood. The lower half of his face was covered by a plastic mask, which officials said was a "spit shield" intended to protect others from blood and other fluids.
Police have said Carpio resisted arrest, and injured himself when he jumped from a third story window at the station after shooting Allen, who was questioning him about the stabbing of an elderly woman.
Clifford Montiero, president of the Providence of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
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