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Feds Decline To Prosecute NYPD For Ramarley Graham's Death
By
Kellylouise Delaney
Published Mar 8, 2016
Modified Mar 8, 2016
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Courtesy Ramarley Graham family
By
Kellylouise Delaney
Published Mar 8, 2016
Modified Mar 8, 2016
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Federal prosecutors will not pursue criminal charges against the NYPD officer who killed 18-year-old Ramarley Graham in February of 2012.
"After conducting a thorough and independent investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office has determined that there is insufficient evidence to meet the high burden of proof required for a federal criminal civil rights prosecution." U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara's office said in a statement Tuesday.
"Neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a federal criminal civil rights violation," the statement continues.
"Mr. Bharara expressed his deep sympathy to the family of Mr. Graham for their tragic loss."
Graham's parents, Constance Malcolm and Franclot Graham, met with Bharara this morning and were informed of the Department of Justice's decision.
"So this is what happened, same as usual. Black life doesn't matter," Graham told reporters outside Bharara's office. "I don't know how they got to that decision, they never visited the home. So as Constance says, a cop word is always [what] the word will be."
Ramarley was fatally shot in the bathroom of his Bronx home by NYPD Officer Richard Haste. Haste had been part of a team watching a Wakefield bodega when he was told by other officers that the teenager possibly had a handgun.
Officers followed Graham to his house, and Haste, after attempting to kick down the front door, charged up a back stairwell and drew his gun. According to Haste, he shouted "Police, show me your hands!" and found Graham in his bathroom, when he appeared to pull something out of his pocket. Haste fired one shot and killed Graham, whose grandmother and 6-year-old brother were also in the apartment.
"At this critical moment in time, no other witness present in the apartment, including Mr. Graham’s grandmother, had a view of Mr. Graham," reads the statement from Bharara's office.
"Officer Haste stated that he believed that Mr. Graham was reaching for the weapon... and that he fired one round from his weapon in response to a perceived deadly threat. The bullet struck Mr. Graham, causing his death. No gun was found at the scene. A bag of marijuana was found in the toilet bowl next to where Mr. Graham was standing."
Officer Haste was initially indicted on manslaughter chargers, however a judge dismissed the indictment due to a legal technicality; another grand jury declined to indict Haste. Graham's family filed a lawsuit against the NYPD, which the city settled in 2015 for $3.9 million.
Officer Haste recently got a raise.
"We're going to look for termination of officers that were involved. And we're going to keep on trying to push what we think matters, which is our lives, which is Ramarley's life, which is police reform," the Grahams' attorney, Royce Russell, told reporters.
Choking back tears, Graham's mother said, "With this justice system, it doesn't seem like our kid's life matters. Time and time again, you see it over and over, these officers walk free, they get a pay raise, they get a promotion, and nothing has been done to them. It sends the wrong message. In your own home you're not even safe anymore."
Tagged
ramarley graham
black lives matter
richard haste
original
Kellylouise Delaney
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