Victoria Snelgrove

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victoria "Torie" Snelgrove
(Family Photo)

Riot Police near Fenway prior to the shooting.

Victoria Snelgrove (October 29, 1982 - October 21, 2004) was an Junior at Emerson College who was accidentally killed by Boston police while she and others were celebrating the Boston Red Sox' victory over the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Snelgrove was a junior majoring in journalism at Emerson College, to which she had transferred from Fitchburg State College in the fall of 2003. She was 21 years old when she died.

Mortally wounded near Fenway Park when an FN 303 blunt trauma / pepper spray projectile - classified as a less-lethal weapon - hit her in her eye, causing her to bleed excessively. Snelgrove died at 12:50 p.m. EDT at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, about 12 hours after being shot. According to the autopsy, the pellet opened a three-quarter-inch hole in the bone behind the eye, broke into nine pieces, and damaged the right side of her brain. A video of the scene shows the crowd dispersing once they realized the severity of her injury as she lay face-down on the ground bleeding.

Boston Police Department Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole placed the police officer involved in the incident on leave. O'Toole later attended the hour-long funeral on October 27, 2004, at St. John's Catholic church in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts along with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Gov. Mitt Romney.

1 The investigation and aftermath
2 Trivia
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links

[edit] The investigation and aftermath

The investigation into Snelgrove's death was led by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern best known for prosecuting mob figures, including fugitive Winter Hill Gang leader James "Whitey" Bulger. O'Toole accepted the department's responsibility, yet still blamed the "punks" who turned the event into a near-riot as the real cause. After the police investigation, Officer Rochefort Milien was identified as the person who actually fired the shot that killed Snelgrove. On May 2, 2005, the city of Boston announced a $5.1 million settlement for her family's lawsuit.

On September 12, 2005, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced that he would not prosecute any of the officers involved. ^[1]

On September 16, 2005, O'Toole demoted the police superintendent who was in charge the night of the shooting to captain and suspended two officers. She also issued written reprimands to two other officers. Milien agreed to accept a 45-day suspension without pay. 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 and escaped disciplinary action.

The weapon that accidentally killed Snelgrove was manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. Because of this incident, several police forces, including the Seattle Police Department, discontinued use of this weapon. As of 2005, further claims regarding the inaccuracy of the model FN 303 have come up, and may prompt a recall of the weapon.

[edit] Trivia

After her death, Boston Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon said he would have traded back Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS to have her back.

Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan dedicated their book, Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle The Historic 2004 Season to Snelgrove. The dedication reads simply : "For Victoria Snelgrove / Red Sox fan".