Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Alex Rivera

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Alex Rivera, who died on May 31, 2023 following an encounter with members of the Syracuse Police Department (SPD). 

Shortly after 4 a.m. on May 31, SPD officers responded to a 911 call reporting a person damaging property in an apartment in a building on Teall Avenue. When officers arrived, they entered the apartment and found Mr. Rivera lying on the floor in a bathroom. Mr. Rivera did not comply with officers’ requests to stand up or walk out. The officers handcuffed him and carried him to the lawn outside the building where paramedics sedated Mr. Rivera and put him into an ambulance. Mr. Rivera was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released footage from body-worn cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public 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. 

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