A NEIGHBORHOOD WONDERS: WHY ISN'T THE SHERIFF HERE?

Rutherford Says A Federal Review Isn't Needed, Defends Not Going To The Scene

Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford pledged a full internal
investigation into the Saturday shooting of an elderly man by police
officers but said Monday there's no need for an independent federal review.

Also, Rutherford took criticism from community members who said he
should have gone to the scene Saturday after 80-year-old Isaac
Singletary was killed by police after apparently confusing undercover
officers for drug dealers.

Rutherford defended his decision not to go to that site or to the
site of the Jan. 20 police shooting of Douglas "D.J." Woods III, 18,
after police said he attempted to rob an undercover officer.

"I have staff that handles that," Rutherford said.

He said because he has to decide whether officers involved acted
properly, he doesn't want to be "tainted" by hearing early versions
of what happened that he may later learn aren't true.

A group of community organizations, including the Jacksonville
Leadership Coalition and New Black Panther Party, sent a letter
Friday to U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown requesting a federal investigation
into Woods' shooting.

But Rutherford said he's elected to handle such investigations.

Mayor John Peyton agreed, saying nothing warrants in his mind the
need for an independent investigation.

Brown said her policy is to send such requests to the U.S. Justice
Department, which she said she will do when she receives the letter.
She said she's planning to host a town-hall meeting in Jacksonville
at the end of next month to talk about solutions to the city's homicide rate.

The FBI is monitoring the investigation into Singletary's death but
has not opened an investigation at this time, spokesman Jeff Westcott
said. The FBI is also monitoring the Woods case and another
police-shooting death this month, but Westcott declined to comment on
how closely the agency is monitoring Singletary's death compared with
the other two.

The U.S. Attorney's Office wouldn't comment, and the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement said it hasn't been asked to
investigate the shootings.

The Rev. Michael C. Edwards, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist
Institutional Church, said the shootings have the appearance of being
race-related because Woods and Singletary were black. Rutherford's
presence would have sent blacks the message that the Sheriff's Office
is taking those concerns seriously, Edwards said.

"His presence as the man in charge suggests that it is of priority,
and likewise his absence says just the opposite," he said.

The Rev. Mark Griffin, pastor of Wayman Chapel AME Church, where
Singletary's funeral will be Saturday, said he agrees with that view
but also thinks it isn't too late for Rutherford to make amends.

Griffin, the pastor of Singletary's sister and niece, said he and
other black community leaders met with the sheriff Monday morning.

"I can tell you he is concerned and that they are doing a full
investigation," Griffin said. "I have encouraged him to take the lead
on representing the Sheriff's Office like he's supposed to."

Isaiah Rumlin, the head of the Jacksonville NAACP, said not only
should the sheriff have been at the scenes, Peyton should have been there, too.

Peyton's office said he wasn't notified of the shootings at the time.

One minister who sees it differently is the Rev. George Harvey Jr.,
pastor of Mount Charity Missionary Baptist Church.

"The sheriff has a metropolitan area of almost a million people,"
Harvey said. "He certainly can't get to every place in the city every
time something happens."

State Attorney Harry Shorstein said he went to the neighborhood after
Saturday's shooting because it is his office's policy for him or his
top assistant to respond to officer-involved shootings to help the
homicide attorney with witness interviews.

Shorstein wouldn't comment about how Rutherford should or shouldn't
respond to scenes.

None of the Florida's larger sheriff's offices and police departments
contacted Monday by the Times-Union said they have a formal policy on
when the sheriff or chief responds to a shooting scene.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee responds to every
officer-involved shooting when he is in town, spokeswoman Debbie
Carter said. If Gee is out of town, he will be notified and will call
to speak with the officer involved, Carter said.

Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary makes it a priority to get to
nearly every officer-involved shooting, a department spokesman said.

Spokesmen for the Miami, Miami-Dade and Tampa police departments all
said the head of the department goes to some officer shootings but not all.

Meanwhile, Edwards said the Woods and Singletary shootings will
galvanize the city's black pastors to get involved.

Already, Edwards said, he and other members of the Jacksonville
Coalition of Black Pastors are encouraging their congregations to
participate in a march being held Thursday to protest violence.

Times-Union writers Matt Galnor and Jeff Brumley contributed to this report.

[Sidebar]

Shootings and the sheriff's response
Isaac Singletary
Age: 80
Where: 2312 Westmont St.
When: Saturday
Sheriff: He was a good citizen and it was a tragic incident. Police
don't know yet who fired first.

Douglas 'D.J.' Woods
Age: 18
Where: 2150 Emerson St. (Sable Palms Apartments)
When: Jan. 20
Sheriff: Police are still early in the investigation but know Woods
was attempting a robbery. Tests show there was gunshot residue on
gloves he was wearing, that three rounds fired from a revolver missed
the officer and three rounds misfired.

Harry Lamar Shuler
Age: 65
Where: 5616 Gilchrist Road
When: Jan. 15
Sheriff: Officers did what they were forced to do after putting their
lives at risk rescuing hostages Rally on Thursday