The March 7, 1999, edition of the New York Daily News reported that in the hours after Amadou Diallo was shot to death on his doorstep, his Bronx apartment was secretly searched by teams of police officers who dumped out two wardrobes of clothing, tore drapes from his bedroom window and upended beds.

At the same time, his roommates, awoken by the police to identify his bullet-riddled corpse, were being held at the 43rd Precinct stationhouse, where they were interrogated for 8 hours. They were not told that Diallo had been killed by other police officers. Instead, officers repeatedly asked the roommates if Diallo had any enemies.

The police actions fit into a chilling pattern of events that began within minutes of the shooting and only now is becoming clear: While no questions were put to the four officers who shot Diallo, the dead man’s home and background were exhaustively probed.

Guest:

• Abdourahamane Diallo, roommate of Amadou Diallo.