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The independent reviews of the two incidents, which included the shooting deaths of DJ Henry and Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. in 2010 and 2011, respectively, were announced to be concluded by Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah on Wednesday, July 26.
According to Rocah's office, the reviews both found no new evidence to resubmit new charges to grand juries related to the deaths of Henry and Chamberlain.
Henry, a 20-year-old Pace University sophomore from the town of Easton, in Bristol, County, Massachusetts, was shot in the vehicle he was driving by a Pleasantville police officer in October 2010 outside of a bar in the village.
Chamberlain a 68-year-old former Marine, was shot in November 2011 by White Plains police who were responding to an accidental activation of his medical alert system.
The independent reviews into the two shootings were announced in 2021 when Rocah appointed retired US District Court Judge John Gleeson and former federal prosecutor Douglas Zolkind, both partners at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, to conduct them and evaluate if there were existing legal grounds to submit new charges.
Rocah said that although the reviews found no evidence for resubmitting charges, her office did "identify areas where real analysis and reform are desperately needed" after separately reviewing publicly available information such as materials related to civil proceedings for each case.
"We are sharing our findings and recommendations in the hopes that we can improve the process in police-involved shooting cases to be more transparent, fair, and compassionate to grieving families," Rocah added, continuing, "When those of us in the criminal justice system acknowledge where we can do better, the increased transparency leads to more faith and trust in the system."
Some of the needed reforms identified by Rocah and her team include legislative proposals for enhanced law enforcement training, communication, and mental health crisis intervention.
Another suggested reform included the District Attorney's Office treating every victim's family with "respect and dignity" going forward, no matter the facts and circumstances.
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