FBI TO ASSIST IN INVESTIGATION OF LIMA WOMAN KILLED IN DEADLY RAID

Veteran Officer Identified As Shooter

LIMA, Ohio - The FBI has joined state investigators in a probe of the
fatal shooting of a Lima woman and a veteran police sergeant was
identified as the shooter yesterday.

Jennifer Brindisi, a spokesman for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal
Identification and Investigation, said federal agents are working with
the agency to determine how Tarika Wilson, 26, was shot to death and
her 14-month-old son, Sincere Wilson, wounded during the Friday night
raid at their East Third Street home. She said the FBI likely will
examine the case for possible civil-rights violations as well.

Sgt. Joseph A. Chavalia, 52, was identified by Lima Police Chief Greg
Garlock as the officer who fired the shots that killed Wilson and
injured her son, who was in her arms at the time. An autopsy showed
Wilson was shot twice in the upper torso, said Dr. Gary Beasley, Allen
County coroner.

Sergeant Chavalia, who was placed on paid administrative leave after
the incident, has been with the police department for 30 years and has
been part of its Special Weapons and Tactical team since 1986,
ac-cording to a statement released by Chief Garlock.

During Friday's raid, police arrested Wilson's boyfriend, Anthony
Terry, on a charge of trafficking in drugs. Police, who have not
released any details about the events leading up to the shooting, said
they found marijuana and crack cocaine in the house.

Chief Garlock said Terry "was the subject of a long-term drug
investigation for whom the search warrant was served" Friday.

While the chief said Sergeant Chavalia was not involved with Terry's
1994 arrest on drug and weapons charges, he was one of two officers
who were involved in a 2000 incident at the Lima Rescue Home in which
police shot and killed a homeless man, Michael Hildebrandt, 30,
following a six-hour standoff.

Mr. Hildebrandt had locked himself in a third-floor room, refused to
come out, and set his mattress on fire. After seeing smoke, Sergeant
Chavalia and Officer Kelly Ricker broke down his door then fired
nonlethal bean bags at Mr. Hildebrandt, who had a knife. When Mr.
Hildebrandt still failed to surrender, he was fatally shot by Officer
Ricker.

Lima City Law Director Tony Geiger said both officers were cleared of
any criminal wrongdoing in that case by an Allen County grand jury and
by the FBI, which examined the case for potential civil-rights violations.

The FBI involvement in the Wilson case was welcome news to local
African-American leaders.

"The FBI needs to investigate because of the way the shooting happened
and the fact that the girl's life was taken and the child was
injured," said Bishop Richard Cox, an official with the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference. "The fact that it was from the SWAT
team and a tactical officer, it questions how the officers are
trained. ... We still think there is no reason that amount of force
should have been used."

Bishop Cox said the conference was conducting its own investigation
into Wilson's death and probing the deaths of other African-Americans
who died while in custody at the Allen County jail in Lima.

Ms. Brindisi said Attorney General Mark Dann could be in Lima next
week to talk to community members.

"With the tension in the community and the public interest and the
media interest in this case, we think it's important to bring the
attorney general to Lima and that's likely to happen next week," Ms.
Brindisi said.

On Tuesday night, Lima City Council unanimously agreed to pay for
Wilson's funeral expenses.

"This was done as a moral obligation, so legally there's no admission
of liability," Mr. Geiger said.

Wilson's mother, Darla Jennings, said it was the least the city could
do. "There was never any question in my mind who was going to pay for
this funeral," she said bitterly.

The wake for Wilson is to be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Grace
Church Worldwide Ministries, 2945 Wells Dr., where her funeral is to
be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow.