From Iowa City, Iowa, comes a case that would have sent chills up the spines of the Founding Fathers.

Eric Shaw, a 31-year-old sculptor, was alone in his studio between 11:30 and midnight on Aug. 29. The weather was warm and Mr. Shaw had left the door to the studio ajar, hoping to catch a breeze. He had taken a break from work and was sitting at his desk, just a few feet from the door, talking to his best friend on the telephone. The friend was trying to console Mr. Shaw, who was unhappy over a recent breakup with his girlfriend. Mr. Shaw had no idea that while he was talking officers of the Iowa City police were gathering outside.

The police would say later that there had been several burglaries in the neighborhood in which Mr. Shaw's studio was located. When they saw Mr. Shaw's door ajar, they drew certain conclusions.

Police Officer Jeffrey Gillaspie, a three-year veteran of the force, pulled his 40-caliber semiautomatic service revolver, pushed Mr. Shaw's door the rest of the way open, and without uttering a single word, without so much as a nod in the direction of civil rights or civil liberties, shot Mr. Shaw in the heart. Mr. Shaw screamed, and then died.