An open can of beer tossed near Riverside Drive and West 136th Street set off a chain of events that ended with 25-year prison veteran Shelton Ennis dead on the pavement of Manhattan’s Riverside Park, and now New York’s top prosecutor says no one will face charges for it. The New York State Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation announced this week that the NYPD officer who tackled Ennis during a foot pursuit on June 26, 2025, will not be criminally charged, finding no evidence of intent, recklessness, or negligence under state law.
According to the New York Attorney General’s Office, officers first engaged Ennis at 9:52 p.m. after spotting him discard an open beer can, with the New York Daily News reporting officers found him drinking from a paper bag near West 137th Street and Riverside Drive around 10:05 p.m. When Ennis gave officers a false name and date of birth and said he had no identification, they could not locate him in NYPD databases and told him he would need to come to the 26th Precinct to be identified, per the Daily News account. Ennis ran. An officer chased him down and tackled him from behind, and he lost consciousness after hitting the ground.
EMS arrived at 10:13 p.m. while Ennis was still breathing, according to the Attorney General’s report, but he was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Morningside at 10:49 p.m. An autopsy determined that the impact of hitting the ground tore the wall of his heart, and that tear killed him, the Daily News reported.
Why the Officer Won’t Face Charges
Attorney General Letitia James said her office found no evidence the officer intended to injure Ennis and cleared him of all criminal liability, according to the Daily News. Investigators pointed to New York Penal Law Section 35.30, which authorizes officers to use physical force when reasonably necessary to effect a lawful arrest or prevent an escape from custody, according to FindLaw. Separately, New York Criminal Procedure Law Section 140.15 addresses arrest authority and justifiable force, per Justia Law…