2004 police shooting of an American student
Victoria E. Snelgrove
[1]
(October 29, 1982 – October 21, 2004) was an American
journalism
student at
Emerson College
in
Boston
, who died after being shot by officer Rochefort Milien of the
Boston Police Department
using a
less-lethal weapon
. The shooting took place following the victory of the
Boston Red Sox
over the
New York Yankees
in the
2004 American League Championship Series
. In 2005, the city of Boston reached a $5.1 million wrongful death settlement with Snelgrove's family. After filing a wrongful death suit for $10 million against
FN Herstal
(the manufacturer of the weapon), the family agreed to an out-of-court settlement in June of 2006; the final amount of the settlement was not disclosed.
[2]
Killing
[
edit
]
In the early hours of October 21, 2004, after the
Boston Red Sox
defeated the
New York Yankees
at
Yankee Stadium
in Game 7 of the
2004 American League Championship Series
,
[a]
the
Boston Police Department
took action around
Fenway Park
to control a crowd that had gathered, some of whom were throwing bottles at the police.
[4]
Approximately 90 minutes after the game ended, officer Rochefort Milien shot Snelgrove with an
FN 303
blunt
trauma
/
pepper spray
projectile. Snelgrove, who was not acting in an unruly manner, was not Milien's intended target; he had fired at a different person in the crowd.
[4]
The crowd-control projectile hit Snelgrove in the eye, causing her to bleed heavily. Ambulances were blocked by the excessive crowds, which still refused to clear the area, preventing prompt medical attention from arriving from the dense medical area only a half-mile (0.8 km) away.
[4]
Snelgrove died at 12:50 p.m.
EDT
at
Brigham and Women's Hospital
in
Boston, Massachusetts
,
[4]
about 11 hours after being shot. According to the
autopsy
, the pellet opened a three-quarter-inch (1.9 cm) hole in the bone behind the eye, broke into nine pieces, and damaged the right side of her brain.
[5]
Boston's
Police Commissioner
,
Kathleen O'Toole
, placed Milien on paid leave.
[6]
O'Toole later attended the hour-long funeral on October 26, 2004, at St. John's
Catholic
Church in
East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
, along with
Mayor of Boston
Thomas Menino
and
Governor of Massachusetts
Mitt Romney
.
[7]
[8]
Investigation and aftermath
[
edit
]
Commissioner O'Toole accepted the police department's responsibility, while condemning the "punks" who participated in the near-
riot
.
[9]
The investigation into Snelgrove's death was led by
Donald K. Stern
, a former
United States Attorney
best known for prosecuting
mob
figures, including fugitive
Winter Hill Gang
leader
James "Whitey" Bulger
. Through the investigation, Officer Milien was identified as the person who fired the shot that killed Snelgrove.
[4]
The report from the investigation outlined 12 recommendations for the Boston Police Department, including a review of use-of-force policies and improved training for less-lethal weapons.
[4]
On May 2, 2005, the city of Boston announced a $5.1 million
wrongful death
settlement for her family's lawsuit.
[10]
On September 12, 2005, the
district attorney
for
Suffolk County
,
Daniel F. Conley
, announced that he would not prosecute any of the officers involved.
[11]
Four days later, Commissioner O'Toole demoted the police superintendent who was in charge the night of the shooting to captain and suspended two officers, including Milien, for 45 days without pay.
[12]
The deputy superintendent outside Fenway Park at the time of the incident was also criticized for poor decisions that led to Snelgrove's death, but had already retired.
[12]
Milien retired from the Boston Police Department on February 29, 2020.
[13]
The weapon that killed Snelgrove was manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (
FN Herstal
). Because of the incident, several police forces, such as the
Seattle Police Department
, discontinued use of this weapon.
[14]
In June of 2006, a $10 million wrongful death suit between FN Herstal and the Snelgrove family was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
[2]
Boston police never used their FN 303s again, and destroyed them in 2007, stating that they were more powerful and lethal than had been anticipated.
[15]
Memorials
[
edit
]
Stephen King
and
Stewart O'Nan
dedicated their book
Faithful
(2004) to Snelgrove; the dedication reads simply: "For Victoria Snelgrove, Red Sox fan."
[16]
Red Sox
outfielder
Trot Nixon
stated that he would have traded Game 7 of the
2004 ALCS
to have her back.
[17]
Snelgrove's parents established the Victoria Snelgrove Memorial Fund, "a non-profit organization to carry forward her spirit and concern for others," which awards scholarships to students at
East Bridgewater High School
and Emerson College.
[18]
In April 2018, a
skatepark
in East Bridgewater was opened and named after Snelgrove.
[19]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series was played on October 20 at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
[3]
The game started at approximately 8:00 p.m. and ended at approximately midnight.
[4]
Police crowd-control activities near Fenway Park in Boston took place in the early hours of October 21.
[4]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Victoria E. (Torie) Snelgrove"
.
The Boston Globe
. October 2004
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
– via legacy.com.
- ^
a
b
Murphy, Shelley (2006-07-14).
"Snelgrove family settles lawsuit"
.
The Boston Globe
. Retrieved
2012-02-06
.
- ^
"Boston Red Sox 10, New York Yankees 3"
.
Retrosheet
. October 20, 2004
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
"Commission Investigating the Death of Victoria Snelgrove"
(PDF)
.
cityofboston.gov
. May 25, 2005. p. 14. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on June 10, 2011
. Retrieved
April 25,
2009
– via
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
Slack, Donovan; Smalley, Suzanne (September 21, 2005).
"In Snelgrove files, officers recount night of chaos"
.
The Boston Globe
. p. 1
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
"Red Sox Fan Killed by Stray Shot, Police Say"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
AP
. November 13, 2004.
- ^
Lavoie, Denise (October 27, 2004).
"Funeral held for fan killed in celebrations"
.
Pensacola News Journal
.
AP
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
MacQuarrie, Brian; Polovina, Julie (October 27, 2004).
"A precious life, lost senselessly, is mourned"
.
The Boston Globe
. p. B4 – via newspapers.com.
- ^
Farragher, Thomas (October 22, 2004).
"O'Toole accepts responsibility but condemns acts of 'punks'
"
.
Boston Globe
. Retrieved
February 20,
2011
.
- ^
Kunzelman, Michael (May 3, 2005).
"$5.1 million settlement reached for wrongful death in '04 Red Sox riots"
.
Massachusetts Daily Collegian
.
AP
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
.
- ^
"Investigative Findings in the Oct. 21, 2004 Fatal Police Shooting of Victoria Snelgrove"
.
mass.gov
(Press release). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Archived from
the original
on December 26, 2005
. Retrieved
October 26,
2005
– via
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
a
b
Smalley, Suzanne (September 17, 2005).
"2 suspended for Fenway shootings"
.
The Boston Globe
. p. 1
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
"Milien, Rochefort (BPD)"
.
The Woke Windows Project
. Retrieved
May 12,
2024
.
- ^
"Seattle Suspends Pepper Gun Used in Boston Death"
.
Reuters
. Archived from
the original
on November 12, 2004
. Retrieved
November 28,
2004
.
- ^
Shea, Paddy (2007-03-01).
"BPD: Pellet guns to be destroyed"
.
Berkeley Beacon
. Archived from
the original
on August 22, 2007
. Retrieved
2009-06-05
.
- ^
O'Nan, Stewart; King, Stephen (2004).
Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle The Historic 2004 Season
. Scribner. p. ix.
ISBN
0743267524
.
- ^
Hohler, Bob (October 23, 2004).
"Pesky Happy to be Back"
.
The Boston Globe
. p. E5 – via newspapers.com.
- ^
"Victoria Snelgrove Memorial Fund"
.
victoriasnelgrove.com
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
.
- ^
"Skate park dedicated to woman killed after 2004 Red Sox playoff win"
.
whdh.com
. April 8, 2018.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- "Boston police accept 'full responsibility' in death of Red Sox fan"
, CNN. October 22, 2004.
- "Violence Denounced in Eulogy for College Student"
The New York Times
. AP. October 27, 2004
- "Video clip records fatal Fenway shooting"
,
The Boston Globe
. November 13, 2004.
- "Don't Ever Forget What Happened to Torie"
.
Boston Dirt Dogs
. May 2, 2005 – via
Boston.com
.
- "Stern Commission Report criticizes Boston Police in Snelgrove death"
The Berkeley Beacon
. Michael Corcoran. June 3, 2005
- "In Snelgrove files, officers recount night of chaos"
The Boston Globe
, September 21, 2005
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[
edit
]
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