Kevin Gaines (police Officer)
Kevin Lee Gaines (February 6, 1966 – March 18, 1997) was an officer assigned to the infamous Los Angeles Police Department Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums unit implicated in the Rampart Scandal.
Gaines had ties to Death Row Records, the Bloods, and dated Suge Knight's ex-wife. He was shot and killed on March 18, 1997, by undercover LAPD officer Frank Lyga, who was determined to be acting in self-defense. At the time of his death, Gaines was 31 and a seven-year veteran of the force.
The shooting of a black officer by a white officer fueled racial tensions and prompted a media frenzy. The Gaines family hired celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles for $25,000,000. After the city exonerated Officer Lyga, they settled for $250,000.
The investigation into Gaines's behavior provided the first clues to the widespread police corruption of the Rampart Scandal.
Read more about Kevin Gaines (police Officer): First Evidence of Corruption, Further Evidence of Corruption, Skepticism
Famous quotes containing the word kevin:
“Well, on the official record you’re my son. But on this post you’re just another trooper. You heard me tell the recruits what I need from them. Twice that I will expect from you.... You’ve chosen my way of life. I hope you have the guts enough to endure it. But put outa your mind any romantic ideas that it’s a way to glory. It’s a life of suffering and of hardship and uncompromising devotion to your oath and your duty.”
—James Kevin McGuinness, and John Ford. Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke (John Wayne)