Officers suspended, no terminations after Rainbow Lounge raid probe

FORT WORTH — Three officers involved in the controversial June raid of a gay bar in Fort Worth were suspended on Thursday, but there will be no terminations.

Police Chief Jeff Halstead declined to release the full report on the department's investigation, but did provide the names of the officers who were disciplined:

• Sgt. R. M. Morris is suspended for one day

• Officer K. Q. Gober is suspended for one day

• Officer J.M. Back is suspended for three days

All of the suspensions are effective Thursday.

The report found also that Fort Worth officers are not responsible for the head injury that occured during the incident.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chief Halstead said, "Of the witnesses interviewed who claimed to observe the arrest of Mr. Gibson, none of them said that they observed him strike his head on the step or on the floor."

Chief Halstead conceded that officers were rude, but said there were no reprimands linked to the use of excessive force.

Five of the department's seven employees who were linked to the raid were cleared in the department's report.

Fairness Fort Worth is still calling for an independent investigation, and they are also calling for a citizen's review panel of the police department.

"This report, because of the lack of proper and adequate disciplinary actions, does not set the standard for accountability, said attorney Jon Nelson of Fairness Fort Worth. "Five days for these actions ... what message does that send to the citizens of Fort Worth or the members of the Police Department?"

The news of the report left some of those who were there the night of the Rainbow Lounge raid angered. Five people were arrested that night and one man was left with a head injury.

"We had serious injuries," said Raymond Gill, who was among those detained when Fort Worth police and The Alcoholic Beverage Commission made a surprise visit to the Rainbow Lounge.

The police suspensions are viewed by some as insufficient.

"That seems kind of minor in regards to the opinions of the TABC and the actions and disipline they took," Gill said. "We have people that won't ever come back to his place. It hurt business, and it's a slap on the wrist at that."

TABC admitted it violated policies and fired three of its agents in August. But, some say the city's response has been delayed and light.

"They all entered together," Gill said. "They committed the acts together, yet it seems like we're covering two different stories."

On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Fairness Fort Worth group discussed the findings of the city's internal investigation. The citizens committee, which has been investigating the raid, did not comment on the results.