Attorney General Letitia James 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 November 15, 2023 following an encounter with a member of the New York State Police.
According to the release, on the evening of November 15, a trooper responded to a residence on State Route 64 in East Bloomfield. When the trooper arrived, he encountered the individual at the residence and, once the individual came outside, the trooper engaged with him verbally. The individual then can be seen in the video charging at the trooper with a knife. The trooper fired his weapon at the individual and they were pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered a knife at the scene.
The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released video from a body-worn camera that the NYSP trooper was 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 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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