A judge in the case against NYPD officer Richard Haste– stemming from the shooting death of a Bronx teen– might rule for a dismissal. Haste gunned down 18-year-old Ramarley Graham last year.
Issues with the jury are what caused Supreme Court Justice Steven L. Barrett, to question whether or not the trial should go on.
DNA Info reports:
Supreme Court Justice Steven L. Barrett, after reviewing the grand jury minutes in the indictment of NYPD officer Richard Haste, said Tuesday that prosecutors may have improperly told jurors they did not have to consider what other officers told Haste before Haste made the decision to fire the shot that killed the unarmed 18-year-old.
Lawyers for Haste have said he was repeatedly told by fellow officers they believed Graham had a gun. However, no gun was found on Graham.
“What he heard may have very well informed what he did,” Barrett said.
Barrett said he considered the issue very serious and would give the Bronx District Attorney a chance to present the case again to a grand jury if the indictment is thrown out. Barrett instructed lawyers for Haste and the district attorney’s office to submit short memos and scheduled a time for them to make oral arguments before the court next week.
Haste pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges last June. He and members of an NYPD narcotics unit burst through the Bronx residence of Graham’s grandmother, believing the teen was a drug dealer, and carrying a weapon.
Graham was fatally shot in the chest by Haste.
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Photo: WYNC
