From the New York Times:
A police officer will be prosecuted on manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Ramarley Graham, an 18-year-old who was killed by a single police bullet in his bathroom after a team of narcotics officers broke into his Bronx home, three people briefed on the charges said Monday.
The officer, Richard Haste, a four-year veteran of the Police Department, is expected to turn himself in on Wednesday for arraignment, the people said. A grand jury recently voted to indict Officer Haste, 30, on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter, but the indictment has not been unsealed, they said. It was unclear if he would face additional charges.
This is the first time a New York City police officer has been indicted on a charge stemming from an on-duty shooting since three detectives were charged in March 2007 in the death of Sean Bell, a 23-year-old who was leaving a strip club hours before he was to be wed. The detectives were later acquitted. (Another officer, Rafael Lora, was indicted in December 2007 for an off-duty shooting that killed the driver of a minivan.)
Mr. Graham was unarmed when he was shot….
On Friday, Mr. Graham’s family and other supporters held a rally next to City Hall, calling for Officer Haste’s prosecution. Protesters described the shooting as an “execution.” A banner showed an image of Mr. Graham with the text: “I am Ramarley. You seen my hands. No gun. Why did you shoot?”
“My son didn’t have to get killed,” Mr. Graham’s mother, Constance Malcolm, said at the rally. “It’s hard for me to even talk about. It didn’t have to happen.”
Last month, the grand jury heard evidence from Officer Haste and at least three other officers who were involved in the episode. It was also expected to hear testimony from Mr. Graham’s family.
In a statement, the president of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, Patrick J. Lynch, stood by the officers’ original belief that Mr. Graham had a gun.
