Biography:Shooting of Deborah Danner

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Shooting of Deborah Danner
DateOctober 18, 2016 (2016-10-18)
Time6:00 p.m.
Location630 Pugsley Avenue, Castle Hill, Bronx, New York City , New York, U.S.[1]
ParticipantsSgt. Hugh Barry
DeathsDeborah Danner
ChargesSecond-degree murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide

Deborah Danner, 66, was fatally shot by New York Police Department Sgt. Hugh Barry on October 18, 2016, in her home in the Bronx, New York. According to police sources, she was armed with first a pair of scissors and then a baseball bat. According to an emergency medical technician, she had put the scissors down, and later on picked up a baseball bat.

Barry was charged with murder and manslaughter in May, 2017. He was acquitted in February, 2018.

On October 18th, 2016, a neighbor called 911 at 6:05 p.m. and reported that Danner was erratic.[2] Police had been called to her apartment before.

According to the police, Danner had scissors, and Barry talked her into putting them down. Then she picked up a baseball bat and swung at him. Barry shot Danner twice, fatally wounding her. He was the only officer in the doorway to the bedroom, with multiple officers behind him due to the tight hallway.

According to court testimony by Brittney Mullings, an emergency medical technician, Mullings had arrived before Barry. Danner had put down the scissors and Mullings was talking to her. Which proved to be false information after the multiple other testimonies which stated Mullings had never spoke to Danner and Barry was the one to talk Danner into putting the scissors down. Once Barry arrived to the scene, he spoke with the officers and proceeded to talk to Danner and got her to put the scissors down and ultimately talked her down. Multiple police officers followed Danner into her bedroom but due to the tight space in the hallway, only Barry was able to make it do the doorway of the bedroom. As he was talking to Danner, she picked up a bat and began to swing at him as multiple testimonies state, it then resulted in him firing two shots at her.[3]

Background

Danner was mentally ill and had written an essay, "Living With Schizophrenia", in 2012. She was a parishioner who regularly attended Trinity Church Wall Street, and was active in that community's groups and ministries.[4]

Aftermath

Less than six hours after the death, Sergeant Barry was placed on administrative duty and stripped of his badge and gun.[5] According to The New York Times , "Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference that the sergeant had not followed training or protocols for dealing with those with mental illness, and for some reason had neither used his Taser nor waited for specialized officers trained to deal with such situations."[6]

The death of Danner, who was black, spurred a protest on October 19. Protestors marched from her apartment building to the 43rd Precinct station house. Marchers included members of the New York Black Lives Matter chapter.[7]

Barry was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on May 31, 2017.[8] On February 14, 2018, Barry was acquitted by a judge in a non-jury trial. The judge ruled Barry as innocent of all charges. Barry found himself in a dangerous situation in which he feared for his life, he was justified in using lethal force.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Rosenberg, Eli; Southall, Ashley (2016-10-19). "In Quick Response, de Blasio Calls Fatal Shooting of Mentally Ill Woman ‘Unacceptable’". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/nyregion/nypd-sergeant-fatal-shooting-bronx-woman.html. 
  2. ↑ "NYPD Sergeant Fatal Shooting Bronx Woman". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/nyregion/nypd-sergeant-fatal-shooting-bronx-woman.html. Retrieved 2016-10-30. 
  3. ↑ James C. McKinley, Jr. (February 1, 2018). "Medic Offers Sharply Different Account of Woman’s Death at Hands of Police". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/nyregion/barry-bronx-shooting-trial.html. 
  4. ↑ Deborah Danner. "Living With Schizophrenia" (PDF). https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3146953/Living-With-Schizophrenia-by-Deborah-Danner.pdf. Retrieved 2016-10-30. 
  5. ↑ "NYPD Sergeant Fatal Shooting Bronx Woman". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/nyregion/nypd-sergeant-fatal-shooting-bronx-woman.html. Retrieved 2016-10-30. 
  6. ↑ "The Death of Deborah Danner". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/opinion/the-death-of-deborah-danner.html. Retrieved 2016-10-30. 
  7. ↑ "PROTEST HELD OVER NYPD SHOOTING OF DEBORAH DANNER IN THE BRONX". WABC-TV. October 19, 2016. http://abc7ny.com/news/protest-held-over-nypd-shooting-of-deborah-danner-in-the-bronx/1562150/. 
  8. ↑ "New York City Police Sergeant Charged With Murder in Bronx Woman’s Death". The New York Times. May 31, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/nyregion/new-york-city-police-deborah-danner-hugh-barry-bronx-womans-shooting-death.html. Retrieved 2017-09-26. 
  9. ↑ Police Sergeant Acquitted in Killing of Mentally Ill Woman By JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN and JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr., New York Times, FEB. 15, 2018




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