A-List to AG: Reopen D.J. Henry case
Stars press feds for fresh probe of Easton student’s killing by cop
A star-studded group of celebrities has joined the push to reopen the case against the police officer who fatally shot Easton’s D.J. Henry, amid nationwide calls to reexamine police killings of unarmed Black men since the death of George Floyd.
The celebrities, including Jay-Z, Rihanna and Odell Beckham Jr., sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Monday — urging the nation’s top prosecutor to “reopen the case and probe the wrongful death of Danroy ‘D.J.’ Henry.”
“The facts support this request, the law all but requires it, and justice — it demands it,” the celebrity group wrote to Barr.
The calls for the New York case to be reopened come after Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer. The officer pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes.
Henry’s family members have been sounding the alarm on social media and demanding that New York officials reopen the shooting death of the Easton resident, who was a 20year-old Pace University junior when Pleasantville, N.Y., Officer Aaron Hess shot him to death in 2010.
The group of celebrities wrote to Barr, “D.J., a young black youth with a bright future ahead of him, was killed for no apparent reason inside his own vehicle. The facts of the case reek of local conflict of interest, racial bias and even false testimony.
“But like so many other unarmed and innocent young, black men who find themselves guilty of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, D.J., too, lost his life for no good reason and with absolutely no good explanation — to this very day,” the group wrote. “Justice, it appears, has been denied.”
In addition to that letter, comedian Amy Schumer this week on social media shared the story of Henry’s death and wrote, “say his name #djhenry #justicefordjhenry.”
Schumer also promoted the online petition to reopen the case, which more than 50,000 people have signed. Henry’s father, Danroy Henry Sr., on Wednesday told the Herald, “There are a lot of people who are helping and adding their voice to get this reopened, and we value all of that. We appreciate all of that … All of that is encouraging to us, and we hope it leads to a positive result.”
The case has never been fairly tried, he reiterated.
In 2010, Hess was accused of jumping on the hood of Henry’s car and firing through the windshield as Henry tried to exit a bar’s parking lot. Police initially said Henry drove toward them aggressively, but the town later said its initial statements “do not fully or fairly represent the facts of that early morning.”
Prosecutors said Hess stepped in front of Henry’s car and ordered him to stop. Hess wound up on the car’s hood, where he fired the fatal shot, officials said.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which declined to bring charges against Hess. The matter was then reviewed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which also did not file charges. The Henry family later agreed to a $6 million settlement with the town.
The attorney for Hess has said the incident has been “examined extensively,” and that the case should not be reopened.
‘The facts support this request, the law all but requires it and justice — it demands it.’ LETTER TO WILLIAM BARR submitted by a group of celebrities who want the Justice Department to reopen the case of D.J. Henry