35°
Jay-Z, Rihanna, Odell Beckham Jr. and other stars wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr saying the Easton, Mass. native "lost his life for no good reason and with absolutely no good explanation."
Danroy, a black 20-year-old Pace University student, was fatally shot by a white officer in Westchester, New York, in 2010.
Others who signed the letter include Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Mary J. Blige, Gabrielle Union, Taraji P. Henson and Pharrell Williams.
Hess shot Henry as he drove away from a disturbance coming from a Mount Pleasant, NY bar in October 2010. Hess said Henry was trying to run him over, so he fired through the windshield of his car to stop him.
Henry's family, however, said Hess jumped on the hood of the car and shot Henry for no good reason.
Hess shot Henry as Henry drove through a parking lot, away from a disturbance that spilled out of a bar in October 2010 in Mount Pleasant, a New York City suburb.
Officer Ronald Beckley subsequently shot at Hess, later saying he because he believed he was the aggressor.
Prosecutors said Henry’s car struck the officer and injured him before Hess fired in "a split decision under conditions of extreme danger, conditions under which the law generally allows latitude to a police officer’s judgment." Hess has since been cleared by a grand jury.
“The DOJ must truthfully determine whether a pattern and/or practice of discrimination played a role in the case of DJ Henry — and if it did — deliver the justice that restores this young man’s name and reputation," the letter reads, "while giving hope to other young black men who are just like him and desperate for change."
While the Henry family reached a $6 million settlement with the town and Hess, celebrities say the facts of the case “reek of local conflict of interest, racial bias and even false testimony.
“Justice, it appears, has been denied."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Amherst and receive free news updates.
