The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) has launched a mandated probe into the NYPD-involved shooting death of Gary Dean Worthy, the 57-year-old armed robber on lifetime parole who died on Nov. 19 during a shootout with cops in Jamaica.
Police from the 113th Precinct responded to a 911 call of an armed heist at a bodega on Jamaica Avenue and 161st Street. After a witness identified Worthy as the alleged robber, NYPD Police Officer Rich Wong approached him, and they exchanged fire.
Worthy was shot in the face, and Wong suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh, and EMS transported Worthy to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Wong was treated and released from Jamaica Hospital Medical Center the following morning.
Officers recovered Worthy’s handgun at the scene.
Pursuant 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 correction officer, may have caused the death of a person by act or omission. Under state law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, 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.
According to sources familiar with Worthy’s record, the decedent had been arrested 23 times since the early 1980s, including 17 times on felony charges.
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
