Detective Accused of Compromising Case Is Sidelined

Police Sgt. Derwin Longmire is on 'paid administrative leave' pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings.

"Murder charges against former Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV and another man in the August 2007 killing of journalist Chauncey Bailey are imminent, law enforcement and other sources said Wednesday night," Thomas Peele, Bob Butler and Mary Fricker of the Chauncey Bailey Project reported in Thursday's editions of the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune.

"Devaughndre Broussard, the only person charged with killing Bailey, has agreed to testify that Bey ordered the killing and that Antoine Mackey, another of Bey followers, helped carry out the hit. Bey and Mackey would face murder charges if indicted by a grand jury.

Deputy District Attorney Christopher Lamiero said, "We are very close to a point where we are going to be able to hold accountable all of those responsible for Bailey’s murder."

Separately, on Tuesday, Peele reported that Oakland police "are moving to fire Sgt. Derwin Longmire in the wake of administrative findings that he compromised the investigation of journalist Chauncey Bailey’s August 2007 killing, according to a senior officer with knowledge of the situation."

"Longmire was put on paid administrative leave late Monday. The decision to fire him will be the subject of a mandatory hearing before final action. He is also charged with insubordination."

Longmire has been criticized by those seeking to unravel the killing of Bailey since he was shot in downtown Oakland that August day.

At the end of December, the Bailey Project wrote:

As questions continue to swirl around Bailey's death, the officers said they have concerns about when and if clear answers will emerge.

"Those questions include:
"Why was so much critical evidence that seems to point to a conspiracy to kill Bailey — a video of Your Black Muslim Bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV mocking the killing, an interview of a bakery worker who said Bey IV bragged that the slaying was a testament to his power — not included in lead detective Sgt. Derwin Longmire's case notes as required by department policy?

"Were Longmire's mistakes intentional to protect his friend Bey IV as Bey IV himself bragged on a secretly recorded police video? Or were they symptomatic of how badly broken the department is?"
"Why did Longmire's case notes not include information from a tracking device that showed Bey IV was outside Bailey's apartment seven hours before the killing?"

Bailey was investigating the bakery at the time of his killing. Bey IV is jailed awaiting trial on a slew of criminal charges and is uspected of ordering Broussard, one of his followers, to kill Bailey 20 months ago, as Tuesday's story said. Broussard’s trial is scheduled for next month.

The Bailey project is supported by the Maynard Institute and other journalism organizations in order to carry on Bailey's work. Peele also wrote Tuesday:
"Lt. Ersie Joyner, who supervised Longmire’s investigation of Bailey’s killing, and Deputy Chief Jeffrey Loman, who was then a captain and Joyner’s boss, face discipline for not properly supervising the Bailey case. Loman has been put on leave with pay pending the outcome of an investigation involving sexual harassment.

"Police spokesman Officer Jeffrey Thomason said he could only confirm that Longmire is on 'paid administrative leave' pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings. 'It is against state law to discuss personnel issues,' Thomason said, citing rules that keep police administrative matters secret from taxpayers."