The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has released its findings on the fatal police shooting of Nathan Scott, which occurred on March 18, 2024. The report from the Office of Special Investigation (OSI), disclosed that there will be no criminal charges brought against the officers involved in the shooting. According to the investigation, which included security and body-worn camera footage, along with interviews with the officers, OSI concluded that the police action could not be legally challenged as unlawful beyond a reasonable doubt under New York law, as reported by the Attorney General’s office.
The circumstances leading to Mr. Scott's death began with him getting robbed and subsequently chasing the perpetrators down in Brooklyn. Officers later responded to a ShotSpotter activation and several 911 calls, which described a man discharging a firearm on the streets. Upon arrival, police identified Mr. Scott as the gunman and fired their weapons fatally wounding him, the OSI report detailed. Under state law, the use of deadly force by a police officer is permissible when needed to decisively defend against another's lethal force. The OSI cited that, given the evidence presented, a prosecutor would be unable to successfully argue that the officer's response was not justified.
In the aftermath of the incident, community members and activists have scrutinized the NYPD's use of force policies, which consistently surface following such events. This latest release from the OSI seems to suggest a narrative where officers acted within the bounds of the law, but this outcome is likely to be met with mixed reactions from a public increasingly concerned with police practices, as detailed by the Attorney General’s office.
Letitia James’ office has affirmed that the decision to not pursue charges is firmly rooted in the legal framework which officers are obligated to operate within. "Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers’ use of deadly physical force against Mr. Scott was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter," the report stated, according to the same press release.
