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In a statement issued on Wednesday night, July 12, Detective Keith Olson, President of the Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester, said that the police shooting of New Rochelle resident Jerrel Garris on Monday, July 3, was "necessary" in potentially saving the lives of New Rochelle officers involved in the incident.
On the day of the shooting, which happened around 4:30 p.m., Garris was shot by Detective Steven Conn after he allegedly grabbed another officer's gun to try and remove it from the holster, according to authorities.
Officers had been confronting Garris after he was reported to have allegedly stolen from a grocery store in New Rochelle at 33 Lincoln Ave.
"Had Detective Conn not taken swift and decisive action, we could very easily be mourning the death of multiple police officers," Olsen said in his statement, adding, "This is the risk police officers take every day: that a seemingly simple arrest can become a life and death struggle without warning."
However, New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), a Democrat, said in a statement on Tuesday, July 11 that the killing of Garris was "senseless."
"He should be alive today and back home in North Carolina with his son," Bowman said, also saying that Garris suffered from mental illness.
"Even though the police knew he experienced schizophrenia, he was shot and killed after police accused him of stealing food from a nearby grocery store," Bowman said, continuing, "We must protect the Black bodies that are the most vulnerable and root out the police brutality that has spread to every corner of our country."
Bowman also called for the passing of legislation on a local, state, and federal level that "holds law enforcement accountable and takes a public health approach to public safety."
"Police cannot be the only officials involved when it comes to public safety – we need social workers, community members, doctors, and more to ensure safety for everyone. We cannot lose any more precious lives to senseless police killings," Bowman said.
In response to Bowman's remarks, Olsen said that the representative had "ignored all facts" and that he "offers no solutions on how to solve the problem of violent mentally ill people roaming our streets."
"While the New Rochelle officers attempting to arrest Mr. Garris may not have known his complete criminal and mental health history, they did know that he was properly and legally subject to arrest," Olsen continued in his statement, adding, "They also knew that, at the moment he was shot, Garris was attempting to gain control of one of their firearms."
The APA also said that Garris had been on probation for third-degree attempted arson at the time of his death and had been an absconder from North Carolina, where his probation supervision was transferred.
The incident is now under investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation, which assesses every incident where a police officer may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. The office investigates when an assessment determines that an officer may have caused the death, officials said.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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