Police department facing string of cases, many of them relating to period immediately after hurricane
The New Orleans police department's reputation was further tarnished on Wednesday when two officers were convicted in relation to the killing of a handyman in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The case is one of a string that department is facing, many of them relating to the period immediately after the hurricane.
In Wednesday's case, a patrolman, Melvin Williams, was found guilty of kicking and beating with a baton Raymond Robair and submitting a false report about the incident. A fellow officer, Matthew Dean Moore, was also found guilty of submitting a false report and lying to the FBI.
Williams could be jailed for life, and Moore for up to 25 years. They are to be sentenced on 14 July.
New Orleans PD has been under investigation by the US justice department, and there are at least a dozen cases pending against either serving or former officers in the city.
The prosecution said Williams beat Robair, put him in a police car and took him to hospital, telling staff he was a known drug user. As a result, the hospital apparently treated him for an overdose rather than injuries sustained from being hit with a blunt instrument.
He died in hospital from massive internal bleeding.
Williams claimed Robair slipped and fell as the officers approached him.
Several witnesses said they saw Williams approach Robair and start kicking and hitting him.
After the verdict, Robair's mother, Marie, told the Associated Press: "Now I can rest and my son can rest in peace."
The Danziger Bridge trial, relating to a shooting by police that left two dead and four wounded, is scheduled for June. Another trial is scheduled to start in August of two officers charged with lying under oath about the fatal shooting of a man, also in the aftermath of Katrina.
The justice department's investigation concluded last month that the New Orleans police department had engaged in patterns of misconduct.
Their findings range from excessive use of force to poor training, lack of supervision and illegal profiling.