Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Geoffrey Parris

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 Geoffrey Parris, who died on February 12, 2024 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Queens.

On the morning of February 12, NYPD officers responded to reports of shots fired at an apartment on Beach 51st Street in Queens. When officers arrived at the apartment, they encountered Mr. Parris who was reportedly holding what appeared to be a gun. An officer ordered Mr. Parris to drop the gun and when Mr. Parris failed to do so, an officer fired his service weapon, striking Mr. Parris. Mr. Parris was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a BB gun at the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released video from a body-worn camera that one of the NYPD officers was equipped with during the incident. The release of this video follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office in the course of 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. 

Warning: This video contains content that viewers may find disturbing.