This is the second look at 144-16-95 [Frank Ray, Melvin Clements; Loran Lovan Taylor, Roland L. Gay – Victims] for information about an incident that happened around the 600 block of Rhode Island Avenue in 1952.
We’ll skip over a few witnesses. If you want to read their testimony go to the link above for DOJ file 144-16-95.
I’m picking Buster Key of 1715 1/2 7th St NW because he seems to be one of the less than reliable witnesses.
INTERVIEW WITH BUSTER KEY
BUSTER KEY, 1715 1/2 7th Street, N. W., was interviewed on October 29, 1952 in Marion Court and advised that he has know the victim for several years and had seen him on numerous occasions in Marion Court. He stated that on July 13, 1952, he was visiting in the Court and at approximately 9:00 AM, he had noticed ZEKE in the Court. He pointed out that at the time ZEKE was not drunk and had come to a point where he, BUSTER, was standing and had given him a drink of wine from a quart bottle. BUSTER stated that he later left the alley and returned sometime in the late afternoon, at which time he noticed that ZEKE was sitting in a doorway on the west side of the alley at approximately 1721 Marion Court. He explained that when the police officers came into the alley, he was standing at a position opposite to ZEKE across the alley and that he had seen the police officers take ZEKE by his arms and walk him down the alley in the direction of “R” Street, N.W. KEY stated that at no time while victim and police officers were in the alley did he see any fighting or scuffling and that ZEKE was not hit by either of the officers during the period that he was in their custody, in Marion Court.
BUSTER KEY advised that after he had seen the victim and the two police officers disappear from view, he heard what he believed to be back fire but stated that he had not gone down the alley to the point where ZEKE was shot.
He advised that he did not wish to furnish a signed statement and stated that he had just been released from the District Jail on the morning of October 29, 1952 after serving a sentence of 15 days for being drunk. It was noted that KEY appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the interview. KEY volunteered the information that on the day that ZEKE was arrested, he was not intoxicated and added that in his opinion, the victim was no drunker at that time than he, KEY, was at the time of this interview.