The Associated Press
TORONTO- A suspected former Black Panther member accused of shooting a Chicago police officer more than 35 years ago was ordered extradited to the United States Friday.
Court officials said Joseph Pannell, a former Toronto library worker who spent more than two decades living in Toronto, allegedly shot when he was 19 and a member of the black militant group.
After the Toronto court ruling, Pannell’s wife and four children stood in protest outside the downtown U.S. Consulate.
“We all have bleeding hearts right now, but this is not over,” said Pannell’s wife, Natercia Coelho. She said they would appeal.
The 1969 shooting of patrolman Terrence Knox, who was left paralyzed, came at the height of notoriety for the Black Panthers.
Pannell was arrested but fled the country after he was freed on bail in 1973. He apparently lived in Montreal for several years before moving to Toronto.
Immigration officials caught up with him in July 2004, acting on a request from the FBI. It wasn’t immediately clear where he was being held or how quickly the extradition order could be carried out.