The shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida has drawn attention to the wider issue of the killings of African American men. A case in which police shot and killed an ex US Marine six months ago - is finally going before a grand jury. It all started in this upstate New York housing project back in November. 68-year old Marine veteran Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. accidentally set off his medical alert system. And 90 minutes after the White Plains police came to his front door - Chamberlain was dead - shot by the very cops who were supposed to be there to help him. But unlike many encounters between police and African Americans who are shot by them, this confrontation was captured on audio and video clips. Racial epithets are heard as police continued to try and force Chamberlain to open his door. Initially news reports described the veteran and former correction officer as threatening the police with a weapon as police entered his apartment, but lawyers say video shows that wasn't true either. For months after the shooting Westchester county official refused to provide the names of the police officers involved in Ken Chamberlain's death. But just this past weekend the identity of the officer who pulled the trigger came out. His name is Anthony Carelli and he apparently been accused of using excessive force before. Two Jordanian-American twins name Carelli a 10 million dollar federal lawsuit that goes to trial this month. Jereis and Salameh Hatter say the officer was the most brutal of White Plains cops they say beat them in 2008. The suit claims both men were handcuffed and that Carelli called them "rag-heads" while punching and kicking them bloody. The Chamberlain story is one of several cases across the US of white police officers or citizens killing unarmed African Americans in just the last six months. The Westchester grand jury is expected to take a month to decide if White Plains police officers broke any laws the morning they killed Kenneth Chamberlain. His family has filed a notice of claim which is likely to lead to a multi million dollar lawsuit against the city. (Originally aired April 9, 2012) * * * Inquiries may be directed to Newman Ferrara attorney, Randolph McLaughlin, at 212-619-5400
