Did a fatal accident play a role in West Palm Beach police chief’s firing?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When it comes to West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley fired On Tuesday, Mayor Keith James addressed the tragedy that left a mother and her pregnant daughter dead following a high-speed chase involving West Palm Beach police officers.

Investigators said the suspect, Neoni Copeland, 23, was speeding away from West Palm Beach police on July 30 when he crashed in Boynton Beach, killing Marcia Pochette and Jenice Woods.

West Palm Beach police placed seven officers on administrative leave after the chase and fatal crash.

The Palm Beach County State’s Attorney’s Office will decide whether to file criminal charges against any or all of the officers involved in the pursuit.

A law enforcement source told WPTV reporter Dave Bohman that once the State Attorney’s Office decides on charges, West Palm Beach police will complete their own investigation and the new chief will decide whether any of the officers must be suspended, demoted or terminated.

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Will it be justice for the families of the accident victims?

Last month, the man who is the husband of one of the victims and the father of the other, told WPTV reporter Joel Lopez that he was struggling with the losses.

“My wife, my daughter, my family, we don’t deserve this,” Junell Pochette said on August 2. “I wish I knew what caused this lawsuit and why this happened. It’s hard. It’s a difficult time for me and my son.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Bohman spoke with relatives of the mother and daughter killed in the crash. They said justice appears slow in the case, but that firing the chief could be a first step toward achieving justice in the deaths of a mother and her pregnant daughter.