NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court decision keeps five former New Orleans police officers on track for a new trial in connection with deadly shootings of unarmed people amid the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Four of the men are charged in the shootings at the Danziger Bridge, which happened a week after Hurricane Katrina hit the city and levee failures led to catastrophic flooding. A fifth ex-officer is charged in the cover-up, which fell apart as federal investigators bore down.
Their 2011 convictions were thrown out by a federal judge who said anonymous online postings by prosecutors tainted the case. Tuesday’s decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds that judge’s decision.