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Mother pleads for NYPD administrative trial more than 3 years after police killed her son
By
Samantha Max
Published Aug 11, 2022
Modified Aug 11, 2022
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By
Samantha Max
Published Aug 11, 2022
Modified Aug 11, 2022
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The mother of a man who was killed by the NYPD in 2019 is pleading with the city’s police watchdog agency to move forward with its case against the officers involved.
Kawaski Trawick, 32, was shot in his Bronx apartment during an encounter that lasted just two minutes. At the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s monthly meeting last night, his mother, Ellen Trawick, said she is disappointed that the agency seems to be dragging its feet.
"Nothing has happened yet,” she said. “It's been over three years, and my family and I, we're patiently waiting, but it's just getting hard to deal with the fact that nothing is happening."
On April 14, 2019, a security guard at Trawick’s apartment building allegedly called 911 and told dispatchers that Trawick had a stick and was harassing his neighbors and the building superintendent, according to a report published by the Bronx district attorney’s office after its investigation into the incident. The super also called to say that he had been threatened.
Meanwhile, Trawick called 911 and said the building was on fire. Dispatchers noted he might be in the midst of a mental health crisis. The security guard called back to say that Trawick “has been losing his mind all day.”
At 11:06 p.m., Officers Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis arrived at Trawick’s door. Footage later released by the city shows the officers talking with Trawick through his open door as he held a wooden stick and a serrated knife. He repeatedly asked the officers why they were in his home. They repeatedly told him to put down the knife.
At 11:07 p.m., Thompson Tasered Trawick. The electrical current lasted five seconds.
By 11:08 p.m., Trawick was back on his feet, running toward the officers while threatening to kill them and begging them to “get out.” That’s when Thompson fired his gun four times.
Bronx DA Darcel Clark declined to criminally charge either of the officers.
“The death of Mr. Kawaski Trawick was profoundly tragic; in order to avoid similar tragedies in the future, improved communication, an increase in the flow of information, improved training and adequate staffing at supportive housing facilities should be explored,” her office wrote in its report. “However, as a matter of law, the People are not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that P.O. Thompson’s use of deadly physical force was not justified.”
An independent CCRB investigation found that the officers did appear to have violated multiple policies. Last June, the agency substantiated disciplinary charges against the officers – five for Thompson and three for Davis, according to the CCRB’s officer portal.
The next step is for the watchdog group to schedule an administrative trial. But it’s been struggling to keep up with a backlog of cases. The agency also has yet to set a trial date for the off-duty officer who killed Delrawn Small more than six years ago, even though both the mayor and the police commissioner have agreed to let the case proceed.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, members offered their condolences to Trawick’s mother and said they were committed to seeing the case through.
“I know that is a priority for your family, and I can assure it is a priority for this agency,” said Executive Director Jonathan Darche. “Your message is received about getting the case calendared in September.”
Neither the NYPD nor the officers’ union responded to requests for comment.
Tagged
police
taser
CCRB
killing
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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