Officers Lance Schilling, Robert Evangelist, and Stuart Smith were released on bond after appearing before a judge to make their
not guilty pleas. The police union and a lawyer for the accused officers, challenge Davis' version of the events. According to their account, a drunken Davis walked into a police horse while asking about the curfew, and belligerently resisted officers who confronted him. Davis' mugshot shows stitches beneath his left eye and a bandaged left hand, and sustained injuries. On October 12, 2005, Davis revisited the site saying, "Is that my blood? It must be. I didn't know I was bleeding that bad." The policemen's trial was set for January 11, 2006. Davis' trial began on January 18. he was suspended for 120 days, while Robert Evangelist and Lance Schilling were fired for their participation in the beating. Two of the men involved in the incident were not New Orleans police officers, but federal agents, who were not indicted by their parent agency for their involvement. Lance Schilling was found dead on June 10, 2007, from a "gunshot wound to the roof of the mouth" that was apparently self-inflicted. On July 24, 2007, Officer Robert Evangelist was cleared of all charges by Judge Frank Marullo, who was later quoted in reference to the trial, "I didn't even find this a close call." The deciding factor was the video evidence that showed Davis struggling for several minutes while police tried to detain him. "This event could have ended at any time if the man had put his hands behind his back," the judge concluded. ==References==