The Office of Special Investigation (OSI), led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, has issued its report on the fatal police shooting of Kent Edwards, which transpired on December 14, 2023. The report concludes that there is not enough evidence to disprove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the justification of the NYPD officers’ actions who used deadly force during the incident. According to the OSI’s findings, as presented on Attorney General James’ official website, a final Investigation Report will be released at a later date.
The encounter between NYPD and Mr. Edwards that led to his death occurred in Manhattan, where he was suspected in an earlier shooting incident. On the fateful morning when officers traced Mr. Edwards to an apartment on Eldridge Street, they attempted to negotiate for over two hours before the situation escalated abruptly to gunfire, with Mr. Edwards firing four shots at the police. Officers responded lethally only after Mr. Edwards came out of a bathroom and fired shots, which resulted in him being shot by a detective. The investigators were able to quickly subsequently retrieve a firearm from Mr. Edwards’s hand, which was later confirmed to have his DNA.
Further details of the case reveal that officers went to Mr. Edwards’ location after his roommate alerted them that he was armed inside their apartment. Despite the lengthy negotiations and the deployment of electronic devices to visually monitor Mr. Edwards’ movements, the confrontation ended in his death after he fired shots at officers upon their entry. The body-worn cameras of the officers captured the entire incident, and evidence photos were taken at the scene, including of the firearm recovered from Mr. Edwards…