Police: Officers didn't realize man was shot when they handcuffed him

**Curt James** · 10-19-2010, 02:57 PM

Police: Officers didn't realize man was shot when they handcuffed him

From Brooke Baldwin, CNN
UPDATED: 03:22 PM EDT 10.19.10

(CNN) - The police chief of a New York City suburb defended his officers Tuesday, days after they shot and killed a Pace University student.

Chief Louis Alagno of the Mount Pleasant, New York, police said that officers handcuffed Danroy "DJ" Henry -- a 20-year-old resident of Easton, Massachusetts, and college football player -- after they shot him. But Alagno said that authorities removed Henry's handcuffs and tried to save his life as soon as they discovered his condition.

"This is a nightmare for everyone involved," Alagno told CNN.

A day earlier, Donna Parks -- whose son was a friend of Henry's and was shot and wounded in the incident -- told CNN that police "pulled DJ out of the car, handcuffed him, put him face down on the ground and left him there for 15 to 20 minutes.

"The incident occurred after a police officer came across "a large group of unruly patrons" in front of Finnegan's Grill in Thornwood, New York, and called for support shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday, according to a police press release. Some 50 police officers responded to the brawl, which continued after the shooting incident, the statement said.

Officers were breaking up fights, police said, when "a vehicle parked in the fire lane" accelerated. A police officer tried to stop the vehicle, which Henry was driving, but its mirror struck the officer and the officer "ended up on the hood," said police.

Another officer tried to pull the first one down from the hood when the car struck him as well. The officer on the hood shot at the driver, but the vehicle continued in the fire lane in the direction of a third Mount Pleasant officer.

That officer also fired at the vehicle, according to the police press release.

But Parks disputed the police account. She said Henry and others in the car were waiting for a friend to come out of the establishment "when a police officer banged ... on the window." She said Henry began driving after her son, Brandon Cox, told him that he thought police wanted him to move his car.

"Another police officer with his gun drawn just ran out in front of DJ's car," said Parks, insisting Henry had no time to stop.

Alagno, the Mount Pleasant police chief, said all the people in the car -- including Henry -- were handcuffed because it was considered a "felony stop" since gunfire was involved. He did not specify whether the shots had come from civilians, police or both.

The officers involved in the shooting have yet to return to duty, said Alagno.

Authorities have launched an investigation involving Mount Pleasant police, New York State Police and others to determine what happened. The probe, expected to take two to three months, will be "long and difficult," said Alagno, who has been Mount Pleasant's police chief since 2001.

Alagno said that he met with Henry's parents after the fatal shooting, calling the meeting one of "the most difficult things [I have] ever had to do." Henry's father was "very articulate -- much more composed than I would have been," said Alagno.

"We are besides ourselves," Henry's father, Danroy Henry Sr., told CNN affiliate WCVB. "His coach called him today a man of high moral character."

Student organizations at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York, carried lights from the school's fitness center to its football field Sunday night in memory of Henry. Parks said that the young men in the car shot at by police have never been suspended or arrested.

"They've done everything that we, as parents, have asked them to do," she said.

###

The officers had no way of knowing what was going on inside the car, conversations, assumptions, etc.

Otoh, the cop who, with gun drawn, jumped in front of a moving car? I wonder if that's procedure.

College ball player at a club the cops are raiding is almost expected to try to escape from the scene. Wish the driver would have just kept his car in Park.

**MDR** · 10-19-2010, 03:30 PM

Tragic story. Sounds like a huge mess. Jumping in front of a moving car makes no sense at all. Driver should have kept his car in park, I agree. But of course the kid didn't deserve to die for a nominal lapse in judgment. Terrible.

**maniclion** · 10-19-2010, 05:11 PM

Stay away from large groups of blacks and latino's fighting, hell not even fighting just gathered around....I learned that lesson in high school while walking home, a bunch of gangsta wanna-be's had all gathered at the corner store parking lot to watch a couple guys beef when one of the guys got knocked out his boys all got mad and started fighting....me being the Kwai Chang Caine type that I am walked across the street to avoid them and back across after. Just as I got across someone yelled gun and everyone took off running just as the cops came rushing down the street. Next thing I know 10 black/latino kids are all running at me and they stop next to me and pretend they are just walking home like me, but a squad car came screeching to a stop in front of us and 2 cops get out and tell them to stop, I keep walking minding my own business and they yell at me to not take another step. Here I am a blond haired white kid dressed in jeans that fit and a t-shirt, 50 lbs of books in my back pack standing next to 10 thug muffins, not one has a back pack nor any books, they're all panting from running and they think I was part of this? They of course start at the far end of the line getting names, taking polaroids for the gang task force and get to me and I just glare at the officer and ask if he really thinks I was part of this group. He says "No but next time an officer tells you to stop you stop..blah blah..." I got more lecturing than the punk asses got for minding my own business...

**Dark Geared God** · 10-19-2010, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by maniclion

Stay away from large groups of blacks and latino's fighting, hell not even fighting just gathered around....I learned that lesson in high school while walking home, a bunch of gangsta wanna-be's had all gathered at the corner store parking lot to watch a couple guys beef when one of the guys got knocked out his boys all got mad and started fighting....me being the Kwai Chang Caine type that I am walked across the street to avoid them and back across after. Just as I got across someone yelled gun and everyone took off running just as the cops came rushing down the street. Next thing I know 10 black/latino kids are all running at me and they stop next to me and pretend they are just walking home like me, but a squad car came screeching to a stop in front of us and 2 cops get out and tell them to stop, I keep walking minding my own business and they yell at me to not take another step. Here I am a blond haired white kid dressed in jeans that fit and a t-shirt, 50 lbs of books in my back pack standing next to 10 thug muffins, not one has a back pack nor any books, they're all panting from running and they think I was part of this? They of course start at the far end of the line getting names, taking polaroids for the gang task force and get to me and I just glare at the officer and ask if he really thinks I was part of this group. He says "No but next time an officer tells you to stop you stop..blah blah..." I got more lecturing than the punk asses got for minding my own business...

Even the older one's too.

**vortrit** · 10-22-2010, 03:04 AM

Big surprise. A brain is not a requirment for cops.

**KelJu** · 10-22-2010, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by Richard Gears

lawl. Ive never done this because doing so is a sign of fear to a knucklehead. Being the hyenas they are, they sniff that shit out. Pack mentality.

The more dangerous the situation, the harder you walk into it. Most thugs are cowards at heart. Changing sides of the street empowers them and gives them incentive to harass you.

I was born with an unfortunate case of crazy face. I use it to my advantage.

**LAM** · 10-22-2010, 07:59 AM

they say the officer involved in the shooting suffers from PTSD. local LE needs to start looking at some of these combat vets from Iraq and Afghanistan more closely. Tons of studies out there that shows that the frontal lobe of the human brain is not fully developed until age 25. personally I think that should be the minimum age for LE.

**maniclion** · 10-22-2010, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by Richard Gears

lawl. Ive never done this because doing so is a sign of fear to a knucklehead. Being the hyenas they are, they sniff that shit out. Pack mentality.

They weren't paying attention to me, besides I knew most of them from football and basketball, and a couple of the mexicans from soccer and baseball....they also knew I was the kid who kicked in the fenceboards the lil mafia gang tagged on my street in front of 2 of their guys and proceeded to kick both of their asses making one of them cry and then one of their brothers confronted me in the bathroom at school and I choked him out....aikido saved my life.

**twarrior** · 10-22-2010, 02:45 PM

Typical cop mentality. Shoot first ask questions later.

**maniclion** · 10-22-2010, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by twarrior

Typical cop mentality. Shoot first ask questions later.

Sounds like typical military procedure....sometimes if you are trained in something over and over it becomes instinct and under stress your instinct kicks in.....

**ROID** · 10-22-2010, 03:13 PM

thank god I'm bullet proof.

you're welcome

**Dark Geared God** · 10-22-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Richard Gears

lawl. Ive never done this because doing so is a sign of fear to a knucklehead. Being the hyenas they are, they sniff that shit out. Pack mentality.

Gears is right on this one..if you show no fear they think your a big bad wolf.they come in all sizes..Chances are they won't fuck with ya .

**maniclion** · 10-22-2010, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Geared God

Gears is right on this one..if you show no fear they think your a big bad wolf.they come in all sizes..Chances are they won't fuck with ya .

Maybe some of us want them to fuck with us, it makes for good practice...

**troubador** · 10-23-2010, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by MDR

Tragic story. Sounds like a huge mess. Jumping in front of a moving car makes no sense at all.

The only person in the article who said that was Donna Parks, who apparently wasn't even there. The cop who 'just ran out in front' their car would have also known they 'had no time to stop'. It's bullshit, there's no way the police directed them to move their car and then they gained so much speed that they couldn't stop after hitting two officers. One could have been remotely possible but this is an area when they should have been moving very slow. If they really were going that fast then it was stupid and irresponsible. Once you either attempt to or negligently run over two people I have no sympathy for you getting shot.

**Dark Geared God** · 10-23-2010, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by maniclion

Maybe some of us want them to fuck with us, it makes for good practice...

I don't go looking for it but when it happens well i'm all in

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