Pubdate: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 Source: San Bernardino Sun (CA) Copyright: 2009 Los Angeles Newspaper Group Contact: http://www.sbsun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1417 Authors: Melissa Pinion-Whitt and Lori Consalvo, Staff Writers POT DEALER SHOT AFTER ATTACKING OFFICER SAN BERNARDINO - A convicted pot dealer who was shot and killed by San Bernardino police Monday night grabbed an officer's genitals and his Taser gun before police shot him, police said. The account differs from a story given by family members of Cedric James May, 22. They say May was dragged out of a vehicle, beaten and shot after being handcuffed. Officers were patrolling near the corner of 14th Street and Wall Avenue about 6:30 p.m. when they saw a man running away from them. They followed the man into an alley where he jumped into a vehicle. Three other men were inside the car, said San Bernardino police Lt. David Harp. Two men got out of the vehicle after officers asked them to. Police handcuffed them. A third man who got out of the car began fighting with police and was shot with a Taser gun, Harp said. While he was being handcuffed, May got out of the car and began fighting with police. "He grabs the officer's genitals and gives them a nice squeeze," Harp said. "It causes the officer quite a bit of discomfort." The officer broke away from May and pulled out his baton. May tried to grab the baton. He also tried to snatch the officer's gun. "He grabs the Taser from the officer's holster," Harp said. "The guy gets the Taser out and now he's pointing the Taser at the officer's head." A second officer on scene shot May once. No one else at the scene was shot by bullets, and the officers were not injured. The man who was shot with a Taser was arrested on suspicion of interfering with a peace officer. He was eventually released with a citation. His name was not immediately available. The other two men were released at the scene. May's family members said they were having a barbecue Monday to celebrate his release from jail the day before. May and his two brothers, Maurice Charles Andrew Jennings and Anthony Deshawn Jennings, left the barbecue and drove to another house to pick up a missing piece for the grill. Relatives say that's when May encountered the police. "They dragged him out and handcuffed him. What can you do in handcuffs?" said his mother, Brenda Standifer. She said he collapsed and died on the street with the barbecue grill piece lying next to him. During the night, family, friends and neighbors gathered at the end of the police tape, yelling profanities and threats at police officers. A helicopter hovered over the neighborhood shining a spotlight on the crowd of residents who stood around for hours, some barefoot, on the hot summer night. Family and friends gathered at a home by the shooting scene Tuesday. Candles sat atop a gutted black television in the alley, and a collage of family photos was placed nearby. May's twin 5-month-old babies named Saniya and Semaj are among his survivors. Attorney Dale K. Galipo, who has been retained by May's family, called the use of deadly force by police "completely unjustified." "It's a tragic situation and the family is going to do whatever they can to seek justice," he said. Galipo said he has interviewed numerous witnesses, including people who were in the vehicle with May. Witnesses told him May was pulled out of the vehicle, beaten and shot in the face by police. May was convicted in February 2007 of possessing marijuana for sale, according to court records. He had also been charged with selling marijuana or hashish, but that charge was dismissed under a plea bargain. San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Donna Gunnell Garza sentenced him to 120 days in jail and 36 months probation. Court records indicate he was arrested again this year on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale. His probation was revoked in March and he was sentenced to one year and four months in prison. The officer who shot May has been placed on paid administrative leave. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake