A New York law enforcement officer who killed an unarmed teenager in 2012 has resigned from his employment. The resignation came following the completion of an internal police disciplinary trial last Friday.
The New York Police Department issued the news of the officer’s resignation in a public statement. The NYPD said that the man quit following a police trial that ruled he was guilty on all counts. The trial ruling recommended the termination of the officer’s employment. The police commissioner agreed with the trial’s findings, and its recommendation to terminate employment.
In the officer’s proceedings, he pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree manslaughter charges relating to the shooting death of the unarmed 18-year-old African American man. The officer shot the man in a bathroom at the young man’s residence. The young man tried to escape to safety in his home after officers started chasing him. During the fatal shooting, the teenager’s 6-year-old brother and grandmother were present.
According to the officer who shot the young man, the teenager had placed his hand at his waist, so the officer believed he was about to pull a weapon. Nevertheless, no weapons were found at the scene of the shooting. The convicted officer shot an entire round of bullets into the young man’s chest.
Family members of victims killed by police officers who use excessive force in New York can seek wrongful death compensation for police brutality by filing a lawsuit in civil court. In this case, the young man’s family did just that. Several years after the shooting, his family negotiated a $3.9 million wrongful death settlement from the city.
Source: CNN, “NYPD cop who killed unarmed teen quits before he’s fired,” March 27, 2017