Grand jury says shooting justified

Troy cop won’t face charges

TROY, N.Y. » A city police officer who shot a man in August 2017 was justified in doing so, according to a grand jury.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney made the announcement Monday. Carney’s office was handling the case for the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office.

On Aug. 15, 2017, Troy Police Officer Jarrod Iler shot Dahmeek McDonald near 8th Street and Rensselaer Street. McDonald survived.

According to the statement from Carney, the grand jury met

a total of 11 days, hearing from 47 witnesses, 29 of them civilians. It also examined 80 exhibits, including video and photos.

The shooting was initially investigated by the Troy Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, New York State Police, and the Albany Police

Department.

Carney said that at least 12 jurors thought Iler was justified in shooting McDonald. The grand jury handed up ”a “No True Bill” to Rensselaer County Court Judge Jennifer G. Sober, meaning no criminal charges will be brought forth.

“While we cannot discuss the actual testimony heard by the Grand Jury, my office conducted a thorough investigation of this incident and I can describe

those efforts in some detail,” said Carney in his release. “We located and interviewed witnesses that had not been identified in the initial investigation and made sure that the Grand Jury had the benefit of all of their perspectives. Every witness who we identified as having personal knowledge of this event was heard by the Grand Jury. With the permission of counsel to Officer Iler, Andrew Safranko, I can report that

Officer Iler, accompanied by Mr. Safranko, executed a waiver of immunity and testified before the Grand Jury. That means that he told the Grand Jury his view of the facts under circumstances that exposed him to potential criminal prosecution and that his testimony, unlike the other witnesses, was not compelled by subpoena.”

Carney’s statement was a lengthy one. The rest of it can be viewed at www.troyrecord.com.