Cincinnati Remains Quiet Following Grand Jury Misdemeanor Indictments
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: In Cincinnati, it's been relatively quiet following yesterday's indictment of a white police officer accused in the shooting death of an unarmed African-American teenager. CNN's national correspondent Bob Franken is here now to tell us how the community is reacting. Good morning, Bob -- so far, so good?</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So far so good, Brian. Officer Stephen Roach, who is the focus of all this, is now going to be assigned a desk job after he's been indicted by a grand jury. He remains, still, the center of tension in Cincinnati.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring in the people. We need to organize in here.</s>FRANKEN: At a church near the spot where policeman Stephen Roach shot and killed 19-year-old Timothy Thomas who was unarmed...</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, all you young people.</s>FRANKEN: ... protesters were urged inside, away from the convoys of police in their riot gear. The grand jury charged officer Roach with a misdemeanor homicide charge, negligent homicide, an unintentional killing, and obstruction of the investigation, another misdemeanor -- maximum penalty for both; a nine-month sentence. The mother of Timothy Thomas, Angela Leisure, had been calling for peace ever since violence broke out last month following the death of her son. But now, she called the grand jury action a slap on the wrist.</s>ANGELA LEISURE, TIMOTHY THOMAS' MOTHER: But I can't sit here and say that my whole entire heart is for peace right now, because that's not how I feel. I'm not going to lie to the public. And I'm not going to lie to myself. That is not how I feel. My feelings are borderline rage.</s>FRANKEN: But county prosecutor Mike Allen insisted the grand jury had done its job in the face of intense pressure.</s>MIKE ALLEN, HAMILTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR: I know that emotions are running high over the tragic death of Timothy Thomas. But the case against officer Roach cannot be decided or based upon emotion.</s>FRANKEN: Emotions were running high. But at almost the very instant the prosecutor ended his news conference, a major storm hit Cincinnati -- a rain storm. Officials feel the deluge may have discouraged an immediate violent reaction to the grand jury announcement. And earlier in the day, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a full-scale investigation into the conduct of the Cincinnati Police Department. Local officials were unsure whether that had any effect on reaction here to the grand jury decision.</s>FRANKEN: Now, officer Stephen Roach's attorney says he is disappointed that he was indicted by the grand jury, but is thankful, he said, that at least the grand jurors recognize that this was not an intentional killing. Roach is going to turn himself in. He's expected to, Brian, later today.</s>NELSON: All right, thank you, CNN's Bob Franken in Cincinnati. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com