The Chronicle T h e i n d e p e n d e n t d a i ly at D u k e U n i v e r s i t y
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2011
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH YEAR, Issue 84
www.dukechronicle.com
DA: Officers’ use of lethal force justified
A helping hand
by Joanna Lichter THE CHRONICLE
Shariza Baranyanka/The Chronicle
Duke students joined volunteers from NCCU and Southern High School to package meals for the needy in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
DPS superintendent unveils strategic plan by Tong Xiang THE CHRONICLE
Eric Becoats is starting off his second semester with a new plan and a lot of buzz. The new Durham Public Schools superintendent unveiled his strategic plan Wednesday evening to invited students, teachers and members of the community. In the position since July, Becoats conducted a “listening and learning” tour, surveying students, teachers, administrators and Durham community leaders on the needs of DPS before proposing major
changes. The strategic plan was based on the tour’s findings, and Becoats presented the plan’s six areas of focus at an upscale event at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park. These include improving “academic acceleration,” “communications and partnerships,” “equitable standards,” “effective operations,” “talent development” and “wellness and safety.” The concepts are to be implemented through increasing the rate at which students achieve academic benchmarks, developing systems of
accountability enforcement and rethinking resource allocation with an eye toward sustainability. Regional business leaders and DPS Board Chair Minnie Forte-Brown spoke along with Becoats and expressed their support for his agenda. City Council member Mike Woodard, Trinity ’81, said he was optimistic about the plan. “I think that the achievement gap is the biggest problem facing DPS right now, but a very close second is the dropout rate,”
Nearly a year after the officer-involved fatal shooting outside of Duke Hospital, the Durham County district attorney has announced that the actions of the involved Duke policemen were authorized. The State Bureau of Investigation completed its review of the incident in September then turned in the results to the DA, Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, wrote in a Tuesday e-mail. “It is standard procedure in North Carolina for the SBI to investigate any shooting death involving a law enforcement officer,” he wrote. “The DA reviewed the findings and determined that the officers’ actions were justified, so the investigation is closed.” Chief John Dailey of the Duke University Police Department deferred all comment to Schoenfeld given the “serious nature” of the matter. The incident occurred March 13 at about 1:09 a.m., when DUPD officers Larry Carter and Jeffrey Liberto responded to a report of a suspicious man outside of Duke University Hospital’s main entrance. Durham resident Aaron Lorenzo Dorsey, 25, attacked the officers and tried to take one See shooting on page 5
See dps on page 4
Irons’ court date rescheduled for March by Sanette Tanaka THE CHRONICLE
A former Duke student accused of rape who was supposed to appear in court today is now scheduled to face charges March 21. Former Trinity sophomore Eric Irons was arrested by Duke Police Sept. 8 for the alleged second-degree rape and firstdegree kidnapping of a female Duke student. The incident allegedly occurred at a Central Campus apartment party April 17, according to the probable cause affidavit. Irons’ court date had previously been pushed back from Nov. 9, 2010. The reason for the delay remains unclear. The assistant district attorney previously handling the case, Mitchell Garrell, is no longer working in the Durham County District Attorneys’ Office. An unnamed source in a Dec. 19 article in The Herald Sun did not specify whether Garrell was fired or voluntarily left his role as an assistant district attorney. Assistant District Attorney Kelly Gauger, who began working in the office in the beginning of 2011, will replace Garrell
Campus tours take more academic focus Page 3
for the case. Gauger said she could not comment on why Garrell is no longer the prosecuting DA or why the court date was rescheduled. “As far as how a case is being handled, I’m not in a position to say [anything],” Gauger said. Irons’ attorney Bill Thomas said Irons plans to face the allegations in court, The Chronicle reported in October. Thomas did not respond to multiple attempts for comment. “Eric Irons is an innocent man,” Thomas said in October. “We have located witnesses and have evidence that the allegations made against him are entirely false. I have every confidence that, once all of the facts are known, that Eric Irons will be completely exonerated of any wrongdoing whatsoever.” Irons withdrew from the University the day following his arrest. His whereabouts remain unclear, although the warrant for his arrest states that he resides in Hong Kong. Gauger declined to comment on Irons’ present location, adding that if she did know, she would not be at liberty to say. Taylor Doherty contributed reporting.
Duke holds Clemson to just 12 first half points, Page 7
lawson kurtz/chronicle file photo
A State Bureau of Investigation review concluded that two officers’ actions in a shooting outside Duke Hospital were justified.
ONTHERECORD
“At this point women are their own worst enemies in perpetuating the leadership disparity.”
—Sophomore Samantha Lachman in “Elect her.” See column page 10