The controversy continues as handwritten notes from a former colleague of the Austin police chief sparks new questions of bias in the Nathaniel Sanders shooting case.

Former Austin police officer Leonardo Quintana shot and killed Sanders in East Austin while on duty investigating shots fired in the area. Sanders and a second person were reportedly sleeping in a parked vehicle when officers approached them. Evidence shows Quintana fired three shots, hitting the 19-year-old in the chest and the back of the head. Quintana said Sanders was reaching for a gun.

A grand jury decided not to indict Quintana and the Austin Police Department determined he acted within police policy.

The incident sparked controversy regarding whether Quintana's actions were warranted, and the city commissioned an independent report, which states that Quintana's actions were "reckless."

Soon after APD Chief Art Acevedo received a copy of the KeyPoint report last fall, he sent it to a former colleague, Paul Golonski, for feedback.

Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald said it is common practice for police chiefs to ask for opinions from others in the field, but said he sees the tone of the feedback as a problem.

"There's no justification for the language in that report, the biases, just across the board," McDonald said.

Chief Acevedo sought the advice of California Highway Patrol Lt. Paul Golonski, with whom Acevedo worked with in the past. Golonski's handwritten notes praise Quintana, calling him a "good" and "thoughtful" officer and saying he did his job. Meanwhile, the KeyPoint review team receives a different description.

Golonski calls the KeyPoint review "crazy" and "stupid," questions the reasoning and suggests the officers involved stopped a "robbery crew."

The notes even suggest the other victim who survived the shooting, Sir Lawrence Smith, could have been "playing possum," or pretending to be asleep, rather than sleeping.

"Of course, the chief had no way of knowing that it would come back in that form, but nevertheless, there's just no way to defend the inappropriate language and references that are in that report," McDonald said.

Chief Acevedo wouldn't comment on the report Tuesday, citing pending litigation, but last week voiced harsh criticism for KeyPoint.

He said he wouldn't support hiring KeyPoint in the future after their opinion in the Sanders case and in the Kevin Brown shooting in 2007.

"It's just an opinion," Acevedo said. "I believed their opinion was wrong in 2007 in the other direction, and in 2009-2010 I believe their opinion is wrong in this direction."

While his former colleague's comments might also be "just an opinion," it's an opinion that is likely to stir up even more controversy.