New York Attorney General Letitia James today released police body-worn camera footage and security footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Andre Joseph Mayfield, who died on May 26, 2024 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Brooklyn.
At approximately 2:20 a.m. on May 26, two NYPD officers were in a marked patrol vehicle at the intersection of Central Avenue and Eldert Street in Brooklyn after responding to a previous unrelated call. Upon exiting the patrol vehicle, the officers encountered Mr. Mayfield, who was standing near the patrol vehicle and holding a knife. The officers deployed a taser, which caused Mr. Mayfield to fall. Mr. Mayfield stood up and approached the officers with the knife. The officers discharged their firearms, striking Mr. Mayfield. Mr. Mayfield was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Officers recovered two knives at the scene.
The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released videos from body-worn cameras that the NYPD officers were equipped with during the incident and footage from a nearby security camera. The release of these videos follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.
Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.
The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.
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