Colleagues Defend Officers in Shooting

Haskel, 44, joined the department in 1985, and Clay, 43, came onto the force two years later. Neither could be reached for comment through their families or their attorney, Robert Ades.

Both officers began their careers working patrol in the 1st District, a fairly busy area including Capitol Hill and RFK Stadium.

Clay moved to the police academy in 1992, where he started producing training videos and other audiovisual projects. Haskel went to the special operations division in 2001, where most recently he was a "spotter" in the helicopter unit.

Haskel has earned several awards for crime fighting, including one in 2005. He was in his helicopter on a November night and spotted a suspect who had just committed a street robbery. From the air, Haskel coordinated ground officers, and the suspect was caught.

Retired officer John Cottingham, who worked with Haskel in the 1st District, described him as a solid officer caught in a tragic series of events and "broken up" by the teenager's death.

"Knowing him as long as I have, I know he didn't fire on someone without a good reason," said Cottingham, who has visited with Haskel in the aftermath. "It's pretty hard for him to talk about it. You can't imagine killing someone, much less a teenager."

Cottingham said he believed Haskel made a "hasty decision" in venturing out to find the minibike. "If he had thought it through, he wouldn't have done this," he said.

Haskel's mother, Virginia Haskel, expressed concern about theories suggesting the shooting wasn't justified but said she did not want to discuss specifics of the case.

"He's a wonderful person," she said. "From a child to a grown man, he's never been in any trouble. He's a friendly person in the neighborhood. And he loves children."

Haskel and Clay live near each other in a section of Washington Highlands. Neighbors who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case said the officers share a love of motorcycles and spend a lot of time tinkering with them outside Haskel's garage. The two belong to a motorcycle club and took some vacations together, including a trip to the 2004 Super Bowl in Houston, neighbors said.

Sgt. Gerald "G.G." Neill, a former chairman of the D.C. police lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he is friendly with both Haskel and Clay and understands what they are going through because he was involved in a fatal shooting in 1995 near RFK Stadium.

"One of an officer's worst nightmares is getting involved with shooting a child or an innocent," said Neill, now a narcotics officer. "It's a very difficult situation, and it's made worse by feeling you are alone. You feel like the whole world is against you."

He said he feels confident that the officers will be cleared.

"As I know them, they are both outstanding, community-minded officers, the kind of guys you'd want to have as your neighbor," Neill said. "If it came down to it today, I'd bet my badge they'll be fine when the investigation is done."

Although the officers live in the neighborhood, some residents do not view them as neighbors, said the Rev. Anthony Motley, who runs an outreach center there.

"People are not looking at them as being from the community. They're looking at them as police, and there's mistrust of police," Motley said. "It overshadows any other relationship. They are police, and that's the main thing."