The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation is looking into the death of a civilian who died on Independence Day after an encounter with the NYPD in Queens.
At approximately 5:23 p.m. on July 4, two NYPD officers responded to a reported assault at a residence in Jamaica. Upon their arrival, officers reportedly found a man with a knife in his hand struggling with another man, who was wounded.
The officers allegedly ordered the man to drop the knife, but he did not comply. One of the officers then fired his service weapon, striking the man. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At the apartment, officers found an 8-year-old child who had been stabbed. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told press after the incident that the 8-year-old and his killer were stepbrothers, and that a 29-year-old woman had also been wounded.
Officers recovered two knives at the scene.
According to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed, and the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated.
If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
