Almost five years after the shooting death of 18-year-old Ramarley Graham in the Bronx, the NYPD is preparing to hold a trial for the officer at the center of the case. Officer Richard Haste has been stripped of his badge and gun and working on modified duty since the February 2012 shooting. Haste shot the unarmed Graham inside his apartment after a chase that started on the street.
A grand jury indicted Officer Haste on manslaughter in 2012, but a Bronx judge dismissed the charge and a second grand jury declined to indict him. The trial could result in Officer Haste’s firing if new Police Commissioner James O'Neill thinks Haste acted inappropriately. Graham's family has been rallying for years to call on the NYPD to fire the officer.
Meanwhile, protests turned into riots for a second night in Charlotte, North Carolina as residents express anger over the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. Police say Scott refused to drop a gun, but his family disputes that he had a gun altogether. Also today, prosecutors in Tulsa, Oklahoma filed first-degree manslaughter charges against officer Betty Shelby for fatally shooting Terence Crutcher, an unarmed man standing on the road because of car trouble.
Do you welcome the departmental trial of Police Officer Richard Haste? Why do you think it's taken so long for him to face internal discipline? Should Commissioner O'Neill fire Haste for killing an unarmed Graham? What's your reaction to the riots in Charlotte? Do you agree with the manslaughter charge in Tulsa? What questions do you want answered in the deaths of Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott?
Natasha's Thoughts
It's hard to watch the shooting of Terence Crutcher and not wonder if it could have been prevented. While police have an immensely difficult job, they cannot resort to shooting someone as a first resort. That outcome is only reserved for when they are being threatened - and a man walking away with his hands up is not a perceivable threat. I hope the charges in this case bring about some much-needed change.
Viewer E-mails
Departmental action in regard to Richard Haste is long overdue. Hopefully it won't take them that long to catch up with Daniel Pantaleo.
Richard Barr
Manhattan
I hate to throw cold water on your efforts, or to belittle the responses that anyone gives, but these are really questions that can only be reasonably be answered by the people hearing the evidence, who will be members of the Police Department. For whatever reason, criminal charges were not brought against the officer, and I don't know that any member of the public is in a position to sit in judgement in a departmental trial, anymore than most of us would be appropriate sitting on a military court martial.
It is refreshing, however, that you chose this as your subject. Sitting in my doctor's waiting room this morning, I realized that some of the other local news outlets led with the Anthony Weiner story (chapter whatever), ad nauseum. (But then, considering the . . . er . . . exposure . . . that NY1 gave him for years on its NY1 Wiseguys panel, I'd guess even if he were worth covering you'd prefer to act like you never, ever heard of him).
Bruce
Upper West Side
Perhaps one way to stop violent protests is to arrest and identify PROFESSIONAL rioters so that they can be taken off the street the moment they are recognized. As for the police, someone needs to sit down with officers and ask them what they fear when confronting African Americans. And when the police pull you over for something, DO NOT BE CONFRONTATIONAL because you WILL wind up on the losing end of it all.
Sal #2
Flushing
My own personal experience with the police is that they lie to protect themselves. I spent a week at Gracie Square hospital for the mentally ill, and lost my job, because of the lies of the NYPD.
Rob, east village
Chief O'Neill needs to do more than just review the actions of Richard Haste. He needs to zoom out and examine the systems and authorities that allowed for Haste to be in the situation he was in, working in street-level narcotics without completing the proper training. How many other officers work outside of their training on a regular basis? How many other sergeants and lieutenants are knowingly putting street officers on assignments for which they are not adequately trained? How many smaller rules are broken and procedures not followed that pave the way to these larger incidents? What Haste did was horrible, but it frustrates me that he and so many other officers may have actually been groomed to stretch boundaries and outright break rules. O'Neill needs to be the chief that finally takes a stand and puts an end to the NYPD culture that has encouraged so many officers to abuse their power.
Julie
Queens
Of all the unjustified shootings of unarmed black men, I found the shooting of RaMarley Graham the most incomprehensible.
I don't want to live in a city where the police think they have the right to kick in someone's door and assassinate an unarmed citizen.
I really do not understand how this man is employed as a police officer; he should be in jail for manslaughter.
My condolences to his family.
Alison
Queens
Every man and woman of able body and sound mind that commits a crime, especially one that cost someone their life should be held fully accountable regardless of occupation!!
Why do we even need to have this discussion? If a doctor accidentally ends their patients life during the course of their supervision and care, are they not accountable for their actions? Are they not subject to disciplinary actions that may very well result in the lost of their employment, the dismissal of their medical license, and the possibility of being held lawfully accountable if sued for medical malpractice.
What makes NYPD any different? In order for New Yorkers and the NYPD to improve on community relations, it's only for the people to see that everyone will be held accountable for their actions and that there is no man or woman above the law in the eyes of our court system. If the people keep seeing that their is a level of protection and special treatment of officers who have essentially committed a violent crime resulting in the lost of human life, the people of NY will never be able to have the utmost trust and confidence in the NYPD, and trust me when I say that this is all we want in ordered to improve PD relations with the communities they patrol and enhance the quality of lives throughout NY!
T from Bklyn
Constance Malcolm, Ramarley Graham's mother doesn't seem too surprised that the police officer who shot her son is going to have a departmental trial. While I empathize, I cannot sympathize because I too lost one of my brothers to police brutality by Housing Police Officers Charles Bouton and Nicholas Lutzky(by now retired) and my family and I NEVER had our case about my brother's killing in the media(except a postage stamp size mention) nor in the court and we were NEVER compensated, BUT we DON'T continue making a federal case out of this, unlike Constance Malcolm and all others who lost loved ones to police brutality, who don't really want justice, BUT revenge! This past August 26, 2016, was thirty years that my brother was brutally beaten and fatally shot! Oh, and I'm tired of hearing of police shooting unarmed black males! Black males AREN'T the ONLY ones who get shot and killed by police officers! Non-black males DO TOO!! My brother WASN'T a black male and he too, was UNARMED at the time of his fatal beating and shooting!! And that rioting in Charlotte, NC is so totally uncalled for! They DON'T want justice! They want REVENGE!! The shooting victim in Tulsa, OK wasn't following orders to stop and he was shot with his hand DOWN, not with his hands UP! STOP spinning this false narrative!!
Cecilia,
East Williamsburg
There is no offense of “non compliance” that should lead to the death of ANYONE!! The fact that this young man ran away does not justify breaking into his home and killing him. If it was thought that he had a weapon when chasing him then call for backup and WAIT. Not shoot to kill on the ASSUMPTION that he has a weapon.
And, if this was his son who ran and was killed by the police, I seriously doubt that his attitude would be what it is.
Tarik
Queens
If our so-called elected representatives showed some GENUINE respect to our EMTS AND FDNYS maybe we would have a more civilized city Frances EV
who is suppose to be held accountable, who is suppose to answer that question, theyre leaving the answer out of the whole equation, Mayor deblasio, commissioner oneal, please answer that question, the cop did everything wrong!! I have nothing more
Elizabeth
I think it is utterly insane that we dont hold police more accountable. In so many other careers we hold people who are expected to have expertise in an area more accountable than the general public. Could you plead ignorant on wall street. When a subbordinate at work caused a violation and breaks laws or company rules arent they all crusified, even those who attempt to play ingnorant to the circumstances. If you put something as powerful as a gun and the right to take someones freedom in the hands of police officers even as young as 20 years old, shouldnt you hold them to a higher standard when they violate laws and the civil rights of those they swore to protect. I beleive you should hold them accountable by making them subject to the same justice system as everyone else, and if you dont thing thats fair then all you have said is there is something wrong with the justice system. They should be charged immediately.
And if they can bring in alive those that have commited mass murder and bombings how can you not bring in those whos car broke down or who may have even broken the law. Since when has the police been granted the right to be judge, jury and executioner.
I think the officers themselves, those who hired them and their supervisiors should all be held accountable. If there is no accountability from the top, this will never be corrected. You may lie to yourself if you want but it is absolutely racial.
Samantha
Bronx