Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-29
ALLEN IS FACED
WITH DISMISSAL
Trial Board Decides Officer
Used Pistol Without lust
Cause.

Pvt. Robert j. Allen, third precinct
policeman. was faced with dismissal
from the police force today as a re-
suit Of the recommendations of a spe-
cial police trial board. which yesterday
! decided he had used his service pistol
without just cause.
Allen was convicted Of the charge
after trial in the sixth precinct police
station yesterday. The board forwarded
its verdict, together with recommen-
! dalton for Aliens dismissal, to Mai.
| Edwin B. Hesse, superintendent of po-
! lice. yesterday afternoon. The Board of
| District Commissioners must approve
, the verdict and recommendations before
Aliens dismissal becomes effective.
The charges against the policeman
grew out of the shooting March Is of
| a l9-year-old colored youth, James A.
Frazier. Frazier and two companions
ran from an alley near Twenty-fourth
and G streets after they had been
frightened by two pistol shots. Allen,
who also heard the shots, had gone to
the alley to investigate and confronted
the three men as they ran out. He
called to them to halt and fired when
they refused to obey the command One
OF the bullets struck Frazier, inflicting a
minor flesh wound In his leg.
Acquitted Dy same BOARD.
Allen was specifically charged after
the shooting with violating a section OF
the police manual which says that an
officer shall not use his revolver except
in defense of his own or another's life.
The trial beard which convicted Allen
was composed of Police Capts. T. r.
Bean, Martin j. Reilly and j. E. Wilson.
This is the same board which acquitted
the policeman a few weeks ago when
he was. tried for failing to give proper
cooperation to Health Department
inspector, who had caused the arrest of
a lunchroom owner on Aliens beat who
was charged with using unsterilized
glasses.
Some time ago at meeting of the
Policemen's Association Allen openly
criticized what he called brutal methods
employed in handling prisoners in some
precincts. He was called before Mai.
Hesse and asked to explain his state
ment. After listening to Aliens ex-
PLANTATION. Maj. Hesse made an investi-
cation, but did not succeed in substan-
tiating the charges.
Allen acted as his own attorney at
the trial yesterday, and also took the
stand in his own defense. He denied
emphatically that he had used his pistol
without justification, and asked the
board to dismiss him if 1t believed he
deliberately shot Frazier without cause.
He insisted he fired at Frazier only
after the latter had ignored his repeat
ed commands to halt, and because he
was convinced that some one had been
shot in the alley where the sound of fir
ing was heard. He said it was natural
thing to conclude that the three men
who ran from the alley Immediately
after the shots were fired, and who
failed to stop at his command, had been
connected with the shooting.
Hesse and Stott. Testify.
Both Maj. Hesse and Capt. William
G. Stott, commander of Aliens precinct,
we're called as defense witnesses. The
police chiefs testimony was confined 70
the manner in which the charges
against Allen were prepared. He denied
that the case against Allen was rushed
through"
Capt. Stott said Allen was a good
policeman in many respects, but that
he had shown poor discretion" at
times.
Allen had called Capt. Guy E. Burlin-
game, recently acquitted on charges of
misconduct, as a character defense.
Capt. Burlingame was excused, how
Aliens character was not In question
and requested him to dispense with
long list Of such witnesses.
Lieut.. William e. Holmes Of the third
precinct was the prosecutions principal
witness. He told of investigating the
shooting, of obtaining a statement from
Allen and of interviewing Frazier at
Emergency Hospital, where he was
taken after the shooting.
Lieut.. Holmes testified Frazier had
told him at the hospital that he heard
Aliens command to halt, but that he
was too frightened to stop. When
Frazier took the stand he denied that
he heard or saw the officer. Other wit
nesses were called, however, who also
said the colored man had told them
he did hear the officers command.
Jacobs Is Questioned.
Aliens partner, Harry L. Jacobs, who
was with him on the night of the
shooting, said that both he and Allen
had received instructions to take I'M
usual precautions because of recent
trouble on their beat.
When the sounds Of the first shots
were heard, he said, Allen ran toward
one end of the alley and he to the
other. Jacobs said II the men had
emerged from the entrance he was COW
ering he would have used his pistol as
Allen did. He said the neighborhood
in which they were working bears a
bad reputation and that he believed
Allen was justified in firing.
Policeman S. F. Gravelly. also of the
third precinct, was in the vicinity at
the time of the shooting and testified
he also heard the firing He said that
If he had been in Aliens place he
probably would have shot also"
DR.. James E. Lewis of Emergency
Hospital testified the bullet followed a
downward course through Frazier's leg
"as though it had been fired at the
ground"
Allen has the privilege of appealing
his case to the District Commissioners.