DA Ryan will look into the Eurie Stamps killing

 I honestly don't think the local DA should be looking at the case 9 years later. She has to work with all these cops, like our State's Attorney General Maura Healey and the State Cops OT scandal. I'm hoping that the Justice Department digs deeper than our locals do and puts the officers under oath to tell what they did that night. Justice has never been achieved when cops investigate cops.

By Norman Miller
Daily News Staff

Posted Aug 20, 2020 at 3:38 PM Updated Aug 20, 2020 at 3:38 PM

FRAMINGHAM — Following two rallies in which advocates demanded justice, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said her office will review the investigation into the 2011 shooting of an unarmed Black man by Framingham police.

Eurie Stamps, 68, was shot and killed in January 2011 by Framingham police officer Paul Duncan during a drug raid at Stamps’ 26 Fountain St. apartment.

The District Attorney’s Office had previously ruled the shooting was accidental and Duncan did not face criminal charges. He remains a Framingham police officer. The town later reached a $3.75 million settlement with the Stamps family.

“The death of Eurie Stamps has had a profound impact on his family, friends and the entire community,” Ryan said in an emailed statement. “We recognize how important it is that the public has confidence in these types of investigations, which is why we are in the process of gathering and reviewing the documents relative to the investigation that was conducted by the previous administration into the death of Mr. Stamps. As we move forward, we are committed to transparency and will be making those documents publicly available consistent with our current policy on officer involved shootings.”

Gerry Leone was district attorney at the time of the investigation.

The announcement comes on the heels of two rallies held by a group called #JusticeForEurie, the first on Aug. 1 in Stamps’ home city of Cambridge and a second last Saturday in downtown Framingham.

Selvin Chambers, a spokesman for #JusticeForEurie, called Ryan’s announcement “a good first step,” but that the group hopes that she and the state Attorney General’s Office reopen the investigation, including using evidence presented during the civil case.

“Our hope is they thoroughly look into the case and Mr. Stamps is given his due justice and that Paul Duncan is held accountable,” Chambers told the Daily News. “The civil case is one thing, but the monetary settlement can never replace Mr. Stamps.”

The shooting occurred on Jan. 5, 2011. Police went to the Fountain Street apartment with a search warrant. They had been investigating Stamps’ stepson, Joseph Bushfan, as well as another man, for allegedly selling crack cocaine from inside the home.

Members of the department’s SWAT team broke down the front door. Two armed officers encountered Stamps, ordering him to get on the floor in the hallway. Stamps complied and placed his hands near his head.

Duncan, a member the SWAT team, stood guard over Stamps, pointing an M4 rifle at him. Duncan shot Stamps in the head. He told authorities that he lost his balance when he tripped over some debris in the hallway, causing him to accidentally fire the fatal shot.

Later that year, the District Attorney’s Office ruled the shooting accidental.

The SWAT team was later disbanded.

When reached by the Daily News, Framingham interim Police Chief Ronald Brandolini said Thursday that the department is aware of the review.

“The Framingham Police Department will fully cooperate with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in regards to the review of the Stamps investigation,” he said.

The #JusticeForEurie group has three goals: honor and recognize Stamps; have Stamps’ case reopened by the U.S. Department of Justice; and for Duncan to be fired.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date crime news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_Miller or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.