Three Officers Fired in DWI Crash

A police officer accused of driving drunk and killing three people including a pregnant woman
pleaded not guilty today to manslaughter charges. Three officers who allegedly spent the day
drinking with him were fired.
New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik announced the firings after a hearing today for Officer
Joseph Gray, who allegedly ran a red light on his way to work, killing 24-year-old Maria Herrera, her
4-year-old son Andy, and her 16-year-old sister Dilca Pena.
Herrera's child, a boy, was delivered by Caesarean section but did not survive. The baby, who was
named Dorian, lived just eight hours. He was buried with his mother on Thursday.

Kerik said two of the officers, John Welsh and Craig Hildebrand, were with Gray at an off-limits strip
club near the 72nd Precinct stationhouse in Brooklyn. They were on probation and could be fired at
Kerik's discretion because they had been on the force less than two years.
The third officer, Edward Sills, is accused of drinking with Gray in a police parking lot. Kerik said
Sills was on disciplinary probation for a previous DWI incident.
In addition, Kerik announced sweeping changes in the staffing of midnightshifts at all precincts and
said any officer on disciplinary probation willbe removed and placed in a shift with more supervisors.
Kerik also said he is looking at how the department investigates alcohol-related incidents involving
its officers.
This Is Not Justice
The three officers were http://www.avvo.com/dui-dwi-lawyer.html among the 14 other officers linked
with Gray who were suspended or reassigned earlier this week in a police department shakeup after
last Saturday's crash. But their punishment did little to ease the pain of the relatives of the accident
victims.
They were also dismayed that Gray was released on $250,000 bail.
"This is not justice," said Herrera's husband, Victor. "I think he was not supposed to get bail. He was
supposed to get locked up there and feel alone and feel what I'm feeling."
Harold Levy, Gray's attorney, said his client is upset over the accident and is relying on his friends
and family for support.
"He's depressed he's not suicidal," Levy said. "He's resigned to the fact that he's in deep trouble.
He's upset, but he has the family for his support."
Two Portrayals of Embattled Officer
Gray did not say anything during today's court appearance. Levy had to enter his plea for him.
Prosecutors argued that Gray should be held on $500,000 bail because he posed a danger to the

community.
Prosecutor Joseph Petrosino described a drinking binge Gray allegedly went on hours before he was
scheduled to work a midnight shift.
"These are not the acts of the loving family man http://californiadui.pro/ andresponsible police
officer," Petrosino said."He has disgraced himself and the department."
Petrosino said Gray's blood-alcohol level was .16 three hours after his arrest. "That's still three times
the legal impairment after his body had four hoursto metabolize the alcohol," Petrosino
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dui said.
Earlier this week, a civil court judge released Gray at his arraignment without bail, sparking
criticism from the victims' families and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
ABCNEWS' Tim Scheld contributed to this report.