Statement from State Senator Gustavo Rivera On The Fatal Police Shooting of Deborah Danner in Castle Hill

"I join all New Yorkers in mourning the tragic death of 66-year-old Deborah Danner, who was fatally shot yesterday by a police officer at her home in Castle Hill. While the details about the incident are still being gathered, it is clear that the death of Ms. Danner, who had a recorded history of mental illness and had been assisted by the department in the past, could and should have been prevented. There are established policies and procedures of de-escalation that the the NYPD is trained in and required to use when confronting an emotionally disturbed individuals. Our community has a right to know what went wrong and why the officer involved opted to use excessive force instead.

This is not the first time our community has faced such a tragedy, but we need to continue working to ensure that we hold law enforcement accountable to the people they serve and continue implementing measures that help prevent these horrific events from occurring.
I commend NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill for taking a significant first step to holding his department accountable by acknowledging earlier today that, in this case, the department failed to meet their first obligation "...to preserve life". It is clear that a thorough investigation needs to be conducted to secure justice for Ms. Deborah Danner and to make certain that a situation of this nature does not repeat itself. I urge New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to use the authority granted to his office under Governor Cuomo's executive order to thoroughly investigate this case in an effort to help continue the process of rebuilding New Yorker's trust in our criminal justice system.”