x

Society

N.Y. Prosecutor Releases Cop Shooting Report

October 9, 2016

NEW YORK  — In a rare move, a New York City prosecutor has made public a 71-page, detailed report of a fatal police shooting of a man authorities say was armed.

In releasing the report, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown stated that there was no basis for criminal charges against the officers in the death of George Tillman on April 17 in South Ozone Park, Queens.

The family of the Maryland resident said in a statement through their lawyer that the officers should face a trial.

“Only a jury can help us understand why a father of five, a licensed electrician being investigated for an open container, can get shot 11 times — without getting a shot off — after allegedly pulling a gun on police officers,” their statement said. “It made no sense when it happened and it still makes no sense today.”

The report included accounts from police, emergency workers, witnesses and details on evidence gathered by investigators, the New York Times reported.

It was released amid mounting calls nationwide for more transparency in reviews of police-involved shootings after a series of fatal shootings of black males by white officers.

Ordinarily, in such cases authorities only release brief public statements on whether they expect to file charges.

The report says plainclothes officers initially stopped Tillman, who is black, for holding an open bottle of vodka near his car. Tillman gave the bottle to a friend but as the officers started to walk away, they observed what looked like a gun in his waistband.

As they went to talk to Tillman, he ran, according to the report. Prosecutors say four officers opened fire when he pointed a loaded weapon at an officer.

“Any fair and reasonable person would agree that to bring criminal proceedings against the officers would be totally unwarranted,” said Brown. “The officers had no choice but to fire in order to stop Mr. Tillman from firing his weapon at them.”

The attorney for the family of Eric Garner, who died after a fatal police chokehold in 2014 on Staten Island, praised the report’s release.

“If you’re not going forward with the case, it’s a good idea to explain why. More information is always better than less,” said Jonathan Moore.

RELATED

Top Stories

Columnists

A pregnant woman was driving in the HOV lane near Dallas.

General News

NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.

Video

A Palestinian Baby in Gaza is Born an Orphan in an Urgent Cesarean Section after an Israeli Strike

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Sabreen Jouda came into the world seconds after her mother left it.

PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted former Donald Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani along with 16 others in an election interference case.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police peacefully arrested student protesters at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, hours after police at a Texas university violently detained dozens in the latest clashes between law enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on campuses nationwide.

ATHENS, Greece — A far-right Greek lawmaker has been charged with criminal assault for allegedly punching a colleague on the sidelines of a parliamentary debate Wednesday.

Enter your email address to subscribe

Provide your email address to subscribe. For e.g. [email protected]

You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in our newsletter.