Bx. cops cleared
Won’t face raps in fatal ’18 tussle with disturbed man
The state attorney general’s office will not seek criminal charges against the Bronx cops involved in a 2018 struggle with an emotionally disturbed man who died in police custody, according to a new report.
The AG’s office ended its investigation into the death of Dwayne Pritchett on Friday, and said it “did not find criminal culpability” on the part of the NYPD cops involved in the incident.
Pritchett died Jan. 28, 2018, after being taken into custody inside his Kingsbridge Heights apartment, authorities said. He was handcuffed when police said he tried to grab a cop’s gun, sparking a deadly struggle.
Medics took him to New York-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital, where he died.
The city medical examiner declared Pritchett’s death a homicide, saying he died during a “physical struggle with police including neck compression.”
The ME also noted that Pritchett had drugs in his system, suffered from cardiovascular disease and had some food stuck in his airway when he died.
Based on the multiple contributing factors that led to his death — as well as the fact that none of the officers had body-worn cameras — investigators could not conclude if the officers had committed a crime, Attorney General Letitia James said.
“Despite a lengthy, exhaustive and comprehensive investigation, the facts and circumstances surrounding his death and encounter with police remain frustratingly unclear,” James said in a statement. “In the absence of conclusive answers about
the precise cause of death, and a lack of definitive evidence, it is impossible to determine whether a crime was committed, and if so, by whom.”
A full report on the investigation, including recommendations on how cops should handle emotionally disturbed people, has been given to the NYPD for review.
“We do believe that the actions of some of the responding officers were concerning and must be addressed immediately,” James said. “The NYPD must implement our recommendations, and we trust the CCRB will take the additional action it deems appropriate.”
Attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who is representing Pritchett’s relatives, said he and the family sat down with the attorney general’s office on Friday and received a copy of the report.
The family was “extremely disappointed” that no criminal charges would be filed against the cops, but they will be filing a lawsuit, he said.
“Clearly there was a chokehold involved and actions were taken by the police that shouldn’t have happened,” Rubenstein said.