New Book Analyzes 2013 Death Of Terrance Franklin By Minneapolis Police
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A Twin Cities attorney said he felt compelled to write a book about one of his cases involving Minneapolis police after the death of George Floyd.
Mike Padden penned the story about the death of his client, Terrance Franklin, by Minneapolis police in 2013. No charges were filed against the officers. The parties settled the civil case earlier this year.
The story surrounding Terrance Franklin focuses on what happened on May 10 of 2013. It's the day the 22-year-old was shot multiple times by Minneapolis police and killed, after they say he fled, broke into a home, hid in the basement and during an altercation, grabbed an officers weapon, striking two.
"The story that came out was something that I did not find credible. The police allege that this young man had grabbed the gun of the SWAT officer and shot two officers. We didn't believe it," Franklin family attorney Mike Padden said.
A grand jury cleared police of wrongdoing. Padden contends it was murder and filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
"Breaking into a home to evade arrest is a crime, but it doesn't merit a death sentence. We engaged in years of a process of discovery that we feel resulted in the truth coming out, not the official version police generated," Padden said.
The city and the Franklin family settled in February for $795,000. The settlement negated a public trial.
Instead, Padden laid out his case on the pages, taking readers through what he says happened, what his team learned, and how they built their case around two main themes, beginning with what he calls a cover up.
"The premise of the book is the blue code of silence. The blue code of silence is not just silence, it can also be active participation of other officers to protect the bad actors," Padden said.
And he says video evidence can change the narrative. In the Franklin case, a man captured video on his iPod touch that Padden says was central to his case.
"Often what happens is you see in video, you see a different story in reports than what the video shows," Padden said.
Minneapolis police told WCCO, "This case was investigated thoroughly and reviewed in great depth by legal experts. The outcome of those two investigations yielded that there was no wrong doing by the Minneapolis Police Department.
The public can certainly draw their owns conclusions. However, attorneys and a Grand Jury, looking at all the evidence, deemed the officers lawful in their actions."
The Board of The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis said in a statement, "This was fully investigated. A Grand Jury was convened, and presented with all of the facts. The officers' actions were found to be justified, and they were completely cleared."
Padden hopes readers will draw their own conclusion.
"This is not to fan the flames, it's to give people a different perspective," Padden said.
The book, The Blue Code of Silence: The True Story of the Murder of Terrance Franklin, is available Monday, Oct. 5. Padden says several law enforcement agencies have already ordered it.
