Huey P. Newton - Fatal Shooting of John Frey

Fatal Shooting of John Frey

Newton had been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon for repeatedly stabbing another man, Odell Lee, with a steak knife during the summer of 1964. He served 6 months in prison, and by 27–28 October 1967 he was out celebrating release from his probationary period. Just before dawn on 28 October, Newton and a friend were pulled over by Oakland Police Department officer John Frey. Realizing that he had stopped Black Panther leader Huey Newton, Frey called for backup. After fellow officer Herbert Heanes arrived, shots were fired, and all three were wounded. Heanes testified that the shooting began after Newton was under arrest, and one witness testified that Newton shot Frey with Frey's own gun as they wrestled. No gun on either Frey or Newton was found. Newton stated that Frey shot him first, which made him lose consciousness during the incident. Frey was shot four times and died within the hour, while Heanes was left in serious condition with three bullet wounds. With a bullet wound to the abdomen. Black Panther David Hilliard took Newton to Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. He was admitted, but was soon handcuffed to his bed and arrested for Frey's killing. Newton was convicted in September 1968 of voluntary manslaughter for the killing of Frey and was sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison. In May 1970, the California Appellate Court reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial. After two subsequent mistrials, the Alameda County Superior Court dismissed the charges after the district attorney said he would not pursue a fourth trial. In his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide, Newton wrote that Heanes and Frey were opposite each other and shooting in each other's direction during the shootout.

According to journalist Hugh Pearson, Newton boasted to close friend and sociobiologist Robert Trivers that he deliberately killed John Frey and never regretted it. Pearson also says Newton made the same claim to another friend, Willie Payne, just before Newton was murdered. Pearson states:

"He admitted killing Officer John Frey. He said that before he killed Frey, the police and the power structure could just come down to the black community and do anything they wanted. But after he shot Frey, much of that changed."