What to Know
- NYPD officer Richard Haste is facing a departmental trial in the shooting death of Ramarley Graham
- Graham was an unarmed black teen shot and killed in front of family members in 2012
- Haste faced no federal or state criminal charges in the case
The NYPD officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teen to death in front of his grandmother and 6-year-old brother four years ago is expected to face a departmental trial, likely in the next two to three months, his attorney tells NBC 4 New York.
Richard Haste, who faced no state or federal criminal charges in the 2012 shooting death of Ramarley Graham, was hit with internal NYPD charges.
Disciplinary proceedings are now moving forward after criminal proceedings were completed earlier this year, which is standard procedure. He faces being fired in the internal trial, though the police commissioner has the ultimate say.
No date has been set, but typically it would be in the next 60 to 90 days, his attorney said.
In March, federal prosecutors declined to file federal civil rights charges against Haste in the death of Graham. The decision ended the possibility of criminal charges for Haste, who was indicted earlier on a state manslaughter charge that a judge dismissed, saying prosecutors had improperly instructed grand jurors. Another grand jury then declined to indict Haste, who said he fired at Graham because he thought Graham would shoot him.
Graham's family has said they believe that Haste, his supervisor that day and any other officer involved should already be fired.
Local
Haste's lawyer Stuart London previously said that his client was gratified he wasn't facing civil rights charges but that "there never were any winners in this case."
And his union echoed the sentiment.
"The officer was working to combat the scourge of guns and drugs in the community," said Patrick J. Lynch, head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, in March. "The good-faith effort to combat those ills brought us to this tragedy. We extend our sympathies to the family."
Graham's family settled with the city in January 2015 for $3.9 million.
