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Wife Of Brooklyn Man Gunned Down By Off-Duty Cop Will Sue For $25 Million
By
Scott Heins
Published Jul 21, 2016
Modified Jul 21, 2016
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Mark Mellone/Gothamist
By
Scott Heins
Published Jul 21, 2016
Modified Jul 21, 2016
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The wife of Delrawn Small, a 37-year-old Brooklyn man shot and killed by an off-duty NYPD cop during a road rage incident, is filing a $25 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city, seeking restitution for what she insists was a "cold-blooded murder."
The Daily News reports that Wenona Hauser Small filed a notice with the city comptroller's office yesterday alleging that three-year veteran officer Wayne Isaacs violated her husband's civil rights and acted "negligently and recklessly" when he shot Small in the early morning hours of July 4th.
Small reportedly believed Isaacs cut him off while both were driving on Atlantic Avenue near Bradford Street. Small got out of his vehicle at a stoplight and approached Isaacs's vehicle, at which point the officer opened fire. The initial police account claimed Small had punched Isaacs repeatedly through his open car window during the altercation, but surveillance video clearly shows that Small was shot immediately as he approached.
In the days following the video's release, Isaacs was placed on modified assignment and stripped of his badge and gun while across the city hundreds marched in protest, arguing that Small, like Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, was a victim in a recent wave of high-profile police brutality caught on video.
"No one should die like that," Small's grieving wife told the News. She told the tabloid that the disparity between the NYPD's narrative and the video footage struck her as a "cover-up" and character assassination.
“Once again, a video shows us the truth of what really happened," Hauser Small's lawyers Sanford Rubenstein and Scott Rynecki said in a statement. The lawsuit also accuses the city of negligence when it comes to training police on proper use of force and how to deescalate.
In addition to the expected $25 million lawsuit, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office has already said it will investigate Small's killing, and a group of defense attorneys and police sources have said they expect Isaacs will face criminal charges.
Tagged
delrawn small
off duty police officer
police brutality
police shooting
wayne isaacs
Wenona Hauser Small
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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