Judge tosses police charges in Katrina bridge case

HOUSTON (Reuters) -
A New Orleans judge on Wednesday
dismissed charges against seven policeman accused of killing
two people on a bridge amid the chaos that followed Hurricane
Katrina in 2005.

Criminal District Court Judge Raymond Bigelow threw out
murder and attempted murder indictments, saying prosecutors had
acted improperly, a clerk for the judge's office said.

The police had been accused of shooting pedestrians on the
Danziger Bridge in eastern New Orleans on September 4, 2005,
just days after Hurricane Katrina inundated much of the city
and stranded tens of thousands of people.

Two people were killed and four wounded in the incident,
amid widespread looting and shooting. Police officers Robert
Falcoun, Kenneth Bowen, Robert Gisevius and Anthony Villavaso
were charged with first-degree murder.

Three other officers, Robert Barrios, Michael Hunter and
Ignatius Hills, were accused of attempted murder.

All seven men had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The case sparked outrage among the families of the victims
and their supporters, who say the accused officers received
preferential treatment.