NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Four police officers charged with shooting civilians on a New Orleans bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina could face the death penalty, authorities say.
Attorneys for Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius, officer Anthony Villavaso and former officer Robert Faulcon were to meet with U.S. Department of Justice officials Tuesday to try to persuade them the government shouldn't seek the death penalty, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.
The meeting is part of the Justice Department's lengthy decision-making process in considering the death penalty for the four men charged in the bridge killings, the newspaper said.
The review is common practice, authorities said, and statistics show that a relatively small number of death sentences are sought. UPI
