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Police who shot and killed Kawaski Trawick won’t face discipline, NYPD commissioner says
By
Bahar Ostadan
Published Apr 12, 2024
Modified Apr 13, 2024
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Lev Radin /Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Bahar Ostadan
Published Apr 12, 2024
Modified Apr 13, 2024
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Two NYPD officers who confronted — and one of whom shot and killed — a Bronx man who was having a mental health crisis at his apartment in 2019 will not face discipline from the police commissioner, the department announced on Friday.
Commissioner Edward Caban determined after a years-long legal process that the officers, Brendan Thompson and Herbert Davis, “acted within the law” and did not commit a crime when they responded to a 911 call from 32-year-old Kawaski Trawick in spring 2019, the NYPD said.
Trawick was locked out of his apartment at a supportive housing complex for people with disabilities when he called 911, and the fire department let him back inside, according to a report the Bronx District Attorney’s office released in November 2020. Police officers arrived at the scene shortly thereafter.
Prosecutors said Thompson and Davis pushed open Trawick’s door and found him standing near his stove holding a bread knife and stick.
“Why are you in my home?” he asked. Thompson tased Trawick despite his more experienced partner’s pleas asking him not to, the report found. Thompson then pulled out his gun as Davis pushed it down.
“No, no — don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,” Davis said, according to the DA’s report. The prosecutors’ investigation found Trawick yelled “I’m gonna kill you all! Get out!” before Thompson fired four times and struck Trawick twice. Trawick was taken to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital by emergency medical personnel and pronounced dead that night.
Last April, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the city’s police oversight agency, asked an administrative judge to recommend firing Thompson and Davis. Several months later, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of trials, Rosemarie Maldonado, determined the two officers should not be punished.
The final decision rested with Caban, who made his announcement just before 5 p.m. on Friday. It drew immediate condemnation from Trawick’s family, advocates for criminal justice reform, and some elected officials.
Thompson remains on active duty and Davis retired this month, according to an NYPD spokesperson.
“Not firing the police who murdered my son in 112 seconds in his home is disgraceful, and the fact that [Mayor Eric] Adams didn't even let my family know of the decision before making it public is the height of disrespect,” Trawick’s parents, Ellen and Rickie Trawick, said in a statement. “Finding out from [the] press late on a Friday, on the weekend that [our] family is mourning the five years since Kawaski was murdered, is unimaginably painful.”
Royce Russell, an attorney for the family, said Caban had failed to address issues within his purview, including ensuring that officers follow patrol guidelines and face discipline when they don't. "It is undisputed [that] had police officers Thompson and Davis followed the police patrol guidelines, Kawaski would be alive today," Russell said.
Tarik Sheppard, a spokesperson for the NYPD, declined to comment on the criticism surrounding the commissioner's ruling.
Both New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams released statements sharply rebuking Caban’s decision not to discipline Thompson and Davis.
“The failure to take any disciplinary action against the NYPD officers who killed Kawaski Trawick is incredibly disturbing and sends the message that our current system is unable to hold officers accountable for the most serious misconduct which takes the life of a New Yorker,” the speaker said, calling Caban’s determination “unacceptable.” “Kawaski’s life was stolen from him; and the ripple effects of this unimaginable tragedy, compounded by the lack of accountability for these officers’ actions, only further erode public trust.”
Williams said Trawick’s family had been “denied any semblance of justice.” “This is a shameful decision stemming from a cynical system and strategy across multiple mayors and commissioners to shield law enforcement from accountability,” he added.
Mayor Adams’ office did not immediately reply to an inquiry.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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