Sister expresses doubts over fatal shooting of Hanlon

The sister of a young man from Ireland killed by a US policeman said today her family had doubts about the officer’s account of the shooting.

Melanie Heise said her 20-year-old brother, Andrew Hanlon, had no history of violence and had never used a weapon in his life before he was shot dead in Silverton, Oregon.

Ms Heise held a news conference at her lawyer’s office in Portland, Oregan to raise doubts about the credibility of Police Officer Tony Gonzalez and his evidence to the grand jury that cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Ms Heise also criticised US police for the way they handle confrontations with the mentally ill, saying Oregon had a poor track record, including a number of deaths.