Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Kent Edwards

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 Kent Edwards, who died on December 14, 2023 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Manhattan.

On the afternoon of December 14, NYPD officers who were engaged in an active criminal investigation, went to a residence on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Before entering the apartment, officers attempted to negotiate with Mr. Edwards to no avail. When the officers entered the apartment, they continued attempts to engage Mr. Edwards. Eventually, Mr. Edwards shot at the officers from inside the bathroom, striking an officer’s protective vest and two officers’ ballistic shields. One of the officers discharged his weapon in response, striking Mr. Edwards. Mr. Edwards was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a gun at the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released videos from body-worn cameras that the NYPD officers were equipped with during the incident. The release of these videos 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.