news-record.com

Files related to the Klan-Nazi shootings on Nov. 3, 1979, were handled properly by the police department, Greensboro police Chief Tim Bellamy said today.

The investigation by the police department's Professional Standards Division found that five to 10 boxes of newspaper clippings had been disposed of in late 2001 or early 2002, during former Chief Robert White's administration, according to a city press release issued Monday.

Those boxes contained newspaper clippings related to the Klan-Nazi shootings and clippings related to other groups. The boxes did not contain any police files related to the shootings, Bellamy said in Monday's press release.

During the course of the internal inquiry, a box of the clippings was brought forward to the standards division. The contents were examined by the investigators and Bellamy.

The remaining box contained only newspaper clippings that addressed a variety of topics related to subversive groups, Bellamy said.

The investigation came after the Revs. Cardes Brown, Gregory Headen and Nelson Johnson said in February a police officer had come to them with concerns that 50 boxes of files related to the Klan-Nazi shootings had been destroyed at the direction of Lt. Craig McMinn.

However, the investigation showed that McMinn followed all the proper state and departmental procedures, Bellamy said Tuesday.

Under state law, all files related to the Klan-Nazi shootings could have been destroyed in 1999, Bellamy said.

In 2005, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission requested records related to the shootings. The city provided 49 volumes of police records.

The police department continues to keep those files in a secured location, Bellamy said.