First Quote Analysis

Impact from a case of mistaken identity
By JOAN FLEISCHMAN
jfleischman@MiamiHerald.com
Harry Castro, former brother-in-law of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, says Miami-Dade cops beat him up early Easter morning -- in an apparent case of mistaken identity.
Castro, 47, was once married to Alvarez's sister Sonia. Alvarez was Miami-Dade's police director.
Castro's attorney, Robert JenningsJr., gives this account:
Castro, a nurse practitioner, got off work at an urgent care center in North Miami-Dade and was headed to his Key Largo home. At around 12:30 a.m., cops blocked his white '07 Mercedes-Benz SL550 convertible at Southwest 137th Avenue. Officers were looking for the driver of a similar car who allegedly pulled a gun on a Miami-Dade policeman.
Police ordered Castro out of the Mercedes at gunpoint. Castro was trying to unbuckle his seat belt when officers yanked him from the car and slapped on handcuffs.
''They started beating the hell out of him,'' Jennings says. ``They kicked him in the side. They kicked him in the head. His face is completely swollen, one eye is black and blue and purple and almost completely swollen shut. There's road rash all over his face.''
Police later released Castro -- no charges. ''They realized he was the wrong person,'' Jennings says.
Two internal affairs sergeants met with Castro on Tuesday and asked him to identify the officers from photos. Castro picked out at least 10.
''Even if he was the guy they were after, they shouldn't have done what they did,'' says Jennings, a retired Miami-Dade detective and legal advisor who spent 21 years on the force.
The Castros divorced last year. Castro, who once co-owned Sunset Sentry Drugs with Sonia, is on probation for a grand theft conspiracy stemming from Medicaid fraud.
Says Mayor Alvarez: ``If any officers are found to have acted inappropriately, I am confident that the matter will be handled accordingly. As with any police investigation, there will be no interference from my office.''

The first quote in this story is from the attorney of Mr. Castro, and is just stating the facts of his clients condition. While it is obvious he is speaking from a biased perspective, it seems as though he just stating facts, describing his client's condition and the events of the attack.

Mr. Jennings is a good source, as Castro probably would not comment himself, and the quote from the mayors office is useful too. Another useful source of a quote here would be someone in the police department in response to the events, but the mayors quote is used to serve that purpose.

The quote backs up parts of the lead, but really does not address the mistaken identity portion until the next paragraph. It focuses entirely on the attack and the injuries. The verb of attribution for the quote is "says" which is as effective as any here is the proper verb to use. I would have used the same verb in writing the story.

Robert Jennings Jr. the attorney for Mr. Castro is the source of the quote, and is a good choice for the first quote, as in this story the police are the antagonistic party, a quote from the victim is most effective.