The departmental trial for the officer who shot and killed unarmed teen Ramarley Graham will likely start in November and be concluded by the end of the year, Council Member Andy King said on Thursday.
Richard Haste has been on modified duty since he fatally shot Graham inside his Bronx apartment in 2012 as the 18-year-old tried to flush marijuana down a toilet.
He has said he thought Graham was armed at the time, but no weapon was recovered.
“They have all the trump cards against Haste,” King said about Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD, adding he spoke with Commissioner James O’Neill this week during a meeting of the City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. “There’s no other decision that can come back other than guilty.”
“The Police Commissioner recently met with members of the Black, Latino and Asian City Council Caucus on a variety of topics and had a productive conversation with them. One of the areas of discussion was the death of Ramarley Graham. Commissioner O’Neill indicated to those members that the department trial of Police Officer Richard Haste is moving forward and will likely begin in November or early December,” an NYPD representative said Thursday.
A series of failed grand jury actions in state court stalled the criminal case against Haste.
And in March, the federal investigation into the shooting was closed with no charges filed. At the time, there was “insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal charges,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.
Constance Malcolm, Graham’s mother, said on Thursday she has lost faith in the system, but if Haste is fired that’s a step forward.
“It’s a step in the right direction, showing that they’re making some progress,” she said. “But it’s still a long way, we still have black men shot every day and nothing has been done.”
