The New York Attorney General’s Office, led by Attorney General Letitia James, has released a report regarding the death of Geoffrey Parris, who lost his life during an encounter with the NYPD in Queens last year, an incident that has sparked discussion and concern among community members. As per the detailed investigation by the Office of Special Investigation (OSI), which involved the examination of bodycam footage, a 911 call, and interviews with the involved officers, no charges will be filed against the NYPD officers who were at the scene. They concluded that the evidence would likely not be enough to convince a jury that the officers’ use of deadly force was unjustified by the standards of New York law, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The events unfolded on the morning of February 12, 2024, when officers were dispatched following a 911 call reporting gunfire in an apartment; Geoffrey Parris was confronted by police after his brother indicated that Parris had allegedly aimed a black gun at him, the situation escalated when Parris, upon being approached a second time by officers, retrieved what appeared to be a black gun and, according to the officers’ narrative, did not follow the officer’s command to discard the weapon, resulting in an officer discharging their weapon and fatally wounding Parris. At the scene, a BB gun was recovered by authorities.
The OSI’s report sheds light on the statutory framework within New York, specifying that police officers are permitted to exercise lethal force if they “rreasonably believes it to be necessary to defend against the use of deadly physical force by another” Aligning with this provision, the OSI’s investigation determined that the officer at the scene faced a situation where Mr. Parris brandished an object resembling a firearm, which led the officer to perceive an immediate threat necessitating the use of deadly force. “Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s use of deadly physical force against Mr. Parris was justified,” the OSI report stated…