Thur, October 28, 1999
1 cop fired in Boston beating case
BOSTON (AP) - A police officer accused in the beating of a black undercover officer who was mistaken for a murder suspect was fired yesterday.
Boston Police Commissioner Paid Evans fired officer James Burgio after a department hearings officer upheld internal charges against him in the January 1995 beating.
Burgio was terminated after charges of excessive force, failing to provide emergency care and failing to come to the aid of a fellow officer were sustained by the hearings officer, the department said.
Burgio, 39, is the first of five officers accused in the attack on Officer Michael Cox - or a coverup that allegedly followed - to be terminated from the force. They had all been suspended without pay.
Burgio's attorney, Thomas Drechsler, said his client would appeal to a civilian arbitrator.
"My client has always denied causing injuries to Mr. Cox," said Drechsler. "We're confident he will be exonerated after an appeal."
Cox was working undercover in the city's Roxbury neighborhood when he was allegedly mistaken for a murder suspect during a foot chase and beaten severely by several officers.