U.
S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced Tuesday he is declining to bring federal charges against New York City police officers in the 2012 shooting death of Ramarley Graham,saying that there isn't enough evidence to prove that officers violated the 18-year-old's civil rights.
Graham was unarmed when he was shot and killed in the bathroom of his family's Bronx domestic by officer Richard Haste. The officer claimed he entered Graham's domestic because he believed the teen had a gun, but no weapon was ever found. The case sparked years of protest and was a key flashpoint in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Haste was indicted shortly after Graham's death, or but the charges were thrown out and a new grand jury declined to indict. Graham's mother, Constance Malcolm, said her family has again been denied justice."Once again, or it proves that our black boys and girls doesn't [sic] matter," she said. "They bear no say. Their lives doesn't matter."Graham's brother Chinoor, then just 6-years-old, or was present when Ramarley was shot and killed. Graham's grandmother was also in the apartment that day.
The NYPD said it is moving forward with a disciplinary review of Haste and others. Malcolm said firing all the officers involved in her son's shooting would send a strong message to the community."That you're not getting away," she said. "Don't believe you're above the law."A spokeswoman for mayor Bill de Blasio said Graham's death was a tragedy and that the city is working to strengthen the relationship between police and the communities they serve.
Malcolm spoke to WNYC's All Things Considered Host Jami Floyd.
Source: wnyc.org