Extradition from Canada on 1969 shooting charge

A story to be followed is the saga of Gary Freeman, or Joseph Pannell. Pannel is a reputed former Black Panther who allegedly shot and paralyzed a Chicago police officer more than 35 years ago.

He is accused of shooting Terrence Knox, then a 21-year-old patrolman, in 1969. Faced with charges of attempted murder and three counts of aggravated battery, Pannell became a fugitive after he was freed on bail in 1973.

Pannell apparently lived in Montreal for several years before then moving to Toronto. He worked at the Toronto Reference Library, where he worked as a researcher for 13 years. Pannell eventually married a co-worker and had several children.

Immigration officials caught up with him in July 2004, after the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice asked Canadian authorities to search for matches to Pannell's fingerprints. The prints apparently matched those found in Canadian records taken for a customs offense committed by Pannell in 1983.

The reasons to follow this story: At Canadian Corner, I take no sides on this story, but there are two intriguing sides. One is historical: alleged Black Panthers in the 1960s in Chicago. Another is societal: person, whether guilty or innocent, builds normal life. And of course, there is the Canada-U.S. angle. This case may not be as simple as a normal Canada-U.S. extradition may seem. We'll see how it goes.