Danroy Henry Case Moves Forward: Pleasantville Police Officer Shot Black College Student & Let him Die in the Street

From [HERE] and [HERE] The wrongful death civil lawsuit against the Village of Pleasantville and the police officer who shot and killed Pace University student Danroy Henry, Jr. in October, 2010, is moving along, the Henry family’s attorney said Friday.  Michael Sussman said the first deposition in the case will be taken next week and Aaron Hess, the officer who shot and killed the 20-year-old student, will be questioned.“Depositions are not themselves open to the public, but as I have indicated, given the nature of the matter, we do expect to release the transcript, or significant parts thereof, particularly as it pertains to the events, to the members of the public through the press,” he said.

“We view this as a fairly important event,” Sussman said during a telephone conference Friday with reporters. “It’s very, very important that we understand from his perspective what he did and what he didn’t do, why he did and all of that.”

Henry’s family is pursuing the lawsuit against Hess, Pleasantville and Westchester County. Eight of Henry’s friends who were at Finnegan’s Grill in Thornwood the night of the Oct. 17, 2010, shooting also have filed civil rights lawsuits against the county, Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville and several police officers — including Hess and Mount Pleasant Officer Ronald Beckley, who also fired at Henry’s car.

Henry was shot outside the bar in the early morning hours after a homecoming game celebration. Police claim he was driving from a fire zone outside Finnegan’s when Hess fired into his Nissan. The officer, who claimed through his lawyer that the car was accelerating toward him, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by a Westchester County grand jury.

Several witnesses, including passengers of Henry’s car, said he drove away because an officer had ordered him to leave the fire lane. Before he could slow down, Hess jumped in front of the vehicle, onto the hood, and started firing. The passenger in the car, Brandon Cox, told authorities that Henry slowed down before he was shot by police. [MORE] According to witness testimony, Henry was handcuffed and placed on the sidewalk, where he lay dying. He was left on the street for 15 minutes without any medical attention. [MORE]

No criminal charges were lodged against Hess or any other officers involved in the incident in a Thornwood shopping center parking lot.