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Experts Believe Off-Duty NYPD Cop Who Killed Unarmed Man Will Be Charged
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 10, 2016
Modified Jul 10, 2016
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Mark Mellone
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 10, 2016
Modified Jul 10, 2016
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The video showing an off-duty police officer fatally shooting an unarmed man during a Brooklyn road rage incident was called "damning" by a NY Post source who is close to the investigation.
Another police official who spoke with the tabloid said "You’ll see some sort of charges filed. You have a person who is unarmed and they’re going to say the level of force used, versus force used against him, does not add up. When you use deadly force, there has to be some sort of grave danger to him. He can’t just say, ‘I got punched so I shot him.’"
The police officer, Wayne Isaacs, 37, was driving his 2002 Nissan Altima around midnight on Monday, July 4 when he got into the dispute with Delrawn Small, 37, who was in a 2016 Kia EX, at Atlantic Avenue and Bradford Street. Small got out of his car and approached Isaacs' vehicle. Initially, one account given was that Small punched Isaacs, causing Isaacs to believe his life was in danger and open fire.
However, the video shows Small falling the ground immediately after approaching Isaacs' car:
Small, 37, had thought that Isaacs had cut him off earlier.
Former NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice Joseph Giacalone told the Post, "Deadly physical force is supposed to be used as a last resort. [Isaacs] could have rolled up his window. He could have backed up his car... It doesn’t appear as if he was being physically assaulted, as he was claiming. So I think this video is going to be a problem for this officer."
Defense attorney Ron Kuby agreed, "What I’m seeing is the police officer engaging in intentional unjustifiable killing of a human being, which is known as murder."
A friend of Small was glad the video emerged, telling the Daily News, "They tried to paint him out to be some gorilla — like, he jumped out the car to go attack this person not knowing that he was a cop."
Small's friends and family had been protesting the shooting and last night's Black Lives Matter march addressed the new video evidence, with Smalls' nephew saying, "Whether you want to admit it or not, we're out here dying from police, and the police are allowed to walk free."
Isaacs has been placed on administrative duty. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating the shooting.
Tagged
delrawn small
off duty police officer
police shooting
wayne isaacs
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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