New York Attorney General Letitia James will not bring charges against the NYPD officer who shot and killed Pedro Felix on the Fourth of July during a chaotic domestic violence incident in Jamaica in 2024.
Her Office of Special Investigation (OSI) released its report into the fatal shooting on Tuesday, after a thorough mandated probe, which included review of footage from body-worn cameras, interviews with witnesses and involved officers, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law.
On the evening of July 4, 2024, police from the 103rd Precinct responded to a 911 call of an assault with a knife in progress inside an apartment at 147-25 94th St. at around 5:15 p.m. When two uniformed officers entered the apartment, they encountered Felix, 20, engaged in a struggle with his father, whom he held in a headlock over the kitchen sink and had a knife in his hand. Officers repeatedly ordered Felix to drop the knife in both English and Spanish, but he failed to comply.
An officer fired his service weapon, striking Felix on the right side of his torso, according to the OSI report. EMS responded to the location and rushed Felix to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
Back at the crime scene, police found an 8-year-old boy with multiple stab wounds to his chest. EMS transported him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he, too, was pronounced dead. Police also found a 30-year-old woman at the apartment with multiple stab wounds to her back and a 43-year-old man who suffered multiple stab wounds throughout his body. They were rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where they were both listed in stable condition.
The deceased child was identified as Jacob Lopez, who lived in the apartment and was the stepbrother of Pedro Felix, who had stabbed his father and his stepmother during the attack. A one-year-old girl was found in the apartment unharmed in her crib in one of the bedrooms.
The father told OSI that his son was not holding a knife when he was shot by the officer but body-worn camera footage showed that the father was mistaken, as a knife was clearly visible in Felix’s hand moments before the officer fired the shot. OSI determined the officer’s use of deadly force was justified under New York law.
OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter.
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 corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may have been 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.
