NO CHARGES AGAINST TROOPER IN FATAL SHOOTING

A Suffolk County grand jury declined to indict a state trooper yesterday
for fatally shooting a suspect in a drug raid in Aquebogue on May 17.

The suspect, John Rasanen, 28, died in his bedroom after he was shot in the
chest by the trooper, Daniel Brown, during the dawn raid. The police said
Mr. Rasanen had resisted arrest and lunged at Trooper Brown. They also said
they had recovered an unloaded pistol from the room, four ounces of cocaine
and $5,000 in cash.

The Suffolk district attorney, Thomas Spota, said that after four days of
testimony, with witnesses who included four friends of Mr. Rasanen's, the
grand jury decided that no criminal charges were warranted.

A lawyer for Mr. Rasanen's family, Daniel G. Rodgers, voiced disappointment
with the decision. The family is pursuing a wrongful-death suit against the
state police and the county police, who joined in the raid. The suit is on
behalf of Mr. Rasanen's fiancee; their baby girl, who was born after the
shooting; and his parents.

Disputing the police account, Mr. Rodgers said a woman in the room with Mr.
Rasanen had told his relatives that he had not defied or lunged at the
officer. Mr. Spota's spokesman said the same woman had testified before the
grand jury.

Mr. Rodgers also said the police deceived him on the day of the shooting,
telling him for hours that Mr. Rasanen was under arrest when he was already
dead.