Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Civilian Death in New York

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released police body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of a civilian who died on August 5, 2023, following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on August 4, 2023 on Roosevelt Island. On the evening of August 4, NYPD officers responded to the lobby of a residential building on Roosevelt Island where an individual approached the officers with a knife. During the encounter, two officers fired their weapons. The individual was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released videos from body-worn cameras worn by four NYPD officers during the incident. The release of the videos follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public in order to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

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 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.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.

The name of the decedent is being withheld at the request of the decedent's family.

Warning: The videos contain imagery that viewers may find disturbing.