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| New York City Police Sergeant Charged With Murder in Bronx Woman’s Death | New York City Police Sergeant Charged With Murder in Bronx Woman’s Death |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A New York City police sergeant who fatally shot a mentally ill woman inside her Bronx apartment in October was charged on Wednesday with murder in connection with the woman’s death. | A New York City police sergeant who fatally shot a mentally ill woman inside her Bronx apartment in October was charged on Wednesday with murder in connection with the woman’s death. |
| The arrest of the sergeant, Hugh Barry, follows months of investigation into the deadly encounter with the 66-year-old woman, Deborah Danner. | The arrest of the sergeant, Hugh Barry, follows months of investigation into the deadly encounter with the 66-year-old woman, Deborah Danner. |
| Sergeant Barry, an eight-year veteran assigned to the 43rd Precinct, was charged with second-degree murder, first- and second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, and was suspended without pay. | Sergeant Barry, an eight-year veteran assigned to the 43rd Precinct, was charged with second-degree murder, first- and second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, and was suspended without pay. |
| Police officers rarely face criminal charges in connection with on-duty deaths, and murder charges are rarer still. | Police officers rarely face criminal charges in connection with on-duty deaths, and murder charges are rarer still. |
| Ms. Danner was killed on Oct. 18 after Sergeant Barry and other officers responded to 911 calls of a woman acting erratically at an apartment building in the Castle Hill neighborhood. | Ms. Danner was killed on Oct. 18 after Sergeant Barry and other officers responded to 911 calls of a woman acting erratically at an apartment building in the Castle Hill neighborhood. |
| Within hours of the death, the sergeant was stripped of his badge and gun and placed on modified duty — despite the police, in their initial account, saying that Ms. Danner had swung a bat at the sergeant. | Within hours of the death, the sergeant was stripped of his badge and gun and placed on modified duty — despite the police, in their initial account, saying that Ms. Danner had swung a bat at the sergeant. |
| Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said Sergeant Barry had failed to follow police protocol for dealing with people with mental illness. Specifically, he did not use his stun gun to try to subdue Ms. Danner, and he did not wait for a specialized Emergency Service Unit to arrive. | Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said Sergeant Barry had failed to follow police protocol for dealing with people with mental illness. Specifically, he did not use his stun gun to try to subdue Ms. Danner, and he did not wait for a specialized Emergency Service Unit to arrive. |
| On Wednesday afternoon, Sergeant Barry, 31, appeared in court in the Bronx, dressed in a suit. Standing before Judge Robert A. Neary, Sergeant Barry kept his eyes forward as his lawyer, Andrew Quinn, entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Judge Neary set bail at $100,000, and Sergeant Barry was escorted from the courtroom. | |
| After Ms. Danner’s death, the Bronx district attorney, Darcel D. Clark, asked the state to impanel a special grand jury to hear evidence in the case. But the state attorney general, who has the power to investigate police shootings of people who were unarmed, declined to pursue a formal inquiry, suggesting the preliminary evidence had confirmed that Ms. Danner was armed when she was killed. | After Ms. Danner’s death, the Bronx district attorney, Darcel D. Clark, asked the state to impanel a special grand jury to hear evidence in the case. But the state attorney general, who has the power to investigate police shootings of people who were unarmed, declined to pursue a formal inquiry, suggesting the preliminary evidence had confirmed that Ms. Danner was armed when she was killed. |
| Ms. Clark, a former judge and the wife of a veteran city police detective, took over the investigation and sought a grand jury. The charges against Sergeant Barry represent the highest-profile prosecution the office has undertaken since Ms. Clark took office last year. | Ms. Clark, a former judge and the wife of a veteran city police detective, took over the investigation and sought a grand jury. The charges against Sergeant Barry represent the highest-profile prosecution the office has undertaken since Ms. Clark took office last year. |
| On Wednesday, Edward D. Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, has blasted the grand jury’s decision, saying, “the union is outraged at the indictment.” | On Wednesday, Edward D. Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, has blasted the grand jury’s decision, saying, “the union is outraged at the indictment.” |
| Mr. Mullins, in a statement, said Commissioner O’Neill’s criticism, “before any investigation was even commenced,” was something that “undoubtedly tainted the grand jury pool and denied any semblance of due process” for the sergeant. | Mr. Mullins, in a statement, said Commissioner O’Neill’s criticism, “before any investigation was even commenced,” was something that “undoubtedly tainted the grand jury pool and denied any semblance of due process” for the sergeant. |
| Over the last few years, a string of killings of unarmed people by the police has increased pressure on prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against officers. Charges have been filed in several high-profile cases, including the deaths of men in Baltimore, North Charleston, S.C. and Tulsa, Okla., but such prosecutions are notably difficult. | Over the last few years, a string of killings of unarmed people by the police has increased pressure on prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against officers. Charges have been filed in several high-profile cases, including the deaths of men in Baltimore, North Charleston, S.C. and Tulsa, Okla., but such prosecutions are notably difficult. |
| In Baltimore, prosecutors dropped charges against three of the officers involved after failing to win convictions against the first three charged. In Tulsa, a jury acquitted the officer, and in North Charleston, the state trial of an officer on murder and manslaughter charges ended in a mistrial, though the officer, who had been fired, eventually pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge. | In Baltimore, prosecutors dropped charges against three of the officers involved after failing to win convictions against the first three charged. In Tulsa, a jury acquitted the officer, and in North Charleston, the state trial of an officer on murder and manslaughter charges ended in a mistrial, though the officer, who had been fired, eventually pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge. |
| In Brooklyn, a rookie police officer, Peter Liang, was charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man, Akai Gurley, in the stairwell of a public housing complex in Brooklyn. Mr. Liang was convicted last year of manslaughter but was sentenced to a term of probation, a decision that outraged Mr. Gurley’s family. | In Brooklyn, a rookie police officer, Peter Liang, was charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man, Akai Gurley, in the stairwell of a public housing complex in Brooklyn. Mr. Liang was convicted last year of manslaughter but was sentenced to a term of probation, a decision that outraged Mr. Gurley’s family. |
| The encounter between Ms. Danner and the police was brief — 15 to 20 minutes — and in close quarters inside her seventh floor apartment, the police said in their initial accounts. It began with a 911 call at 6:05 p.m. from a neighbor who said Ms. Danner was acting erratically. It was not the first time the police had been called to her home. | The encounter between Ms. Danner and the police was brief — 15 to 20 minutes — and in close quarters inside her seventh floor apartment, the police said in their initial accounts. It began with a 911 call at 6:05 p.m. from a neighbor who said Ms. Danner was acting erratically. It was not the first time the police had been called to her home. |
| The encounter ended with Sergeant Barry firing twice, fatally wounding her, in her bedroom. | The encounter ended with Sergeant Barry firing twice, fatally wounding her, in her bedroom. |
| What happened in between will undoubtedly be dissected in a potential trial. | What happened in between will undoubtedly be dissected in a potential trial. |
| Initially, the police said that Sergeant Barry persuaded Ms. Danner to drop a pair of scissors, but that she picked up a bat and tried to swing at him. Several other officers were at the scene, in the building at 630 Pugsley Avenue, but only Sergeant Barry was in the bedroom with Ms. Danner. | Initially, the police said that Sergeant Barry persuaded Ms. Danner to drop a pair of scissors, but that she picked up a bat and tried to swing at him. Several other officers were at the scene, in the building at 630 Pugsley Avenue, but only Sergeant Barry was in the bedroom with Ms. Danner. |