During the course of Congresswoman McKinney's focus on the victims and their mistreatment, she and her staff received reports of illegal use of force and shootings against innocent citizens from multiple, unrelated sources, including reports of attempts to by law enforcement authorities to conceal the evidence of their crimes. Although a few of these informants were willing to testify in public or go to the press, most refused to go on record for fear of retaliation. Transcripts of the testimony of the survivors at the December 6, 2005 hearing reveal a common theme about military and police abuses of ordinary citizens in a crisis, including threats to kill. After that hearing, more reports were received that warrant further Congressional investigation.
Because these stories came from multiple, unrelated sources Congresswoman McKinney did not dismiss them out of hand. She attempted to verify them with limited resources, to speak out about them, and to get Congressional attention through the Katrina Committee hearings. Many aspects of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, despite numerous House and Senate committee hearings, remain unanswered and unresolved, including any final or reliable body counts.
(A further comment below this story contains the testimony before the committee from one of the survivors -- a must read. --Mark)