Family of D.J. Henry wants case reopened in wake of George Floyd’s death
The family of D.J. Henry of Easton — a 20-year-old black man shot to death by a white cop — is urging officials to reopen the case against the officer amid nationwide calls to reexamine police killings of unarmed black men since the death of George Floyd.
Family members of Danroy “D.J.” Henry are sounding the alarm on social media, and demanding that New York officials, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, reopen the 2010 shooting death.
“The shooting death of my brother DJ Henry in Pleasantville N.Y by officer Aaron Hess should be reopened, investigated and prosecuted,” Amber Henry wrote on Facebook. “He was MURDERED, plain and simple. The town and the police tried in vain to cover it up. All we have asked for from the beginning is the truth and the truth is that justice is screaming out and needs to be served!!”
The renewed calls for the case to be reopened come after Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer. The officer pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
In 2010, Hess was accused of jumping on the hood of Henry’s car and firing through the windshield as Henry tried to exit a bar’s parking lot.
Police initially said Henry drove toward them aggressively, but the town later said its initial statements “do not fully or fairly represent the facts of that early morning.”
Prosecutors said Hess stepped in front of Henry’s car and ordered him to stop. Hess wound up on the car’s hood, where he fired the fatal shot, officials said.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which declined to bring charges against Hess. The matter was then reviewed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which also did not file charges. The Henry family later agreed to a $6 million settlement with the town.
Amber and other family members are now encouraging the public to submit letters to New York and federal officials, demanding that Hess get charged.
“I am angry they treated my brother like he was nothing and continue to treat him as if he didn’t matter,” Amber wrote. “He mattered. He matters. I will not stop until he gets what he deserves. I’m just getting started.”
All unindicted cases involving the shooting of unarmed black or Latino men during the last decade should be reopened, said Michael Sussman, a lawyer for the Henrys.
“A special office should be established under state law to review the evidence and seek a re-determination,” Sussman said.
A spokeswoman for Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr., said the case could only be reopened if new evidence is discovered.
“At this time, there are no plans by this office to reopen the case,” the spokeswoman said.
The attorney for Hess said the incident has been “examined extensively.”
“There is no new evidence” Hess’s attorney Brian Sokoloff said. “Nothing is different, and the matter should not be reopened.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2USnzxY
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