DJ Henry Case Documents Describe 'Chaotic' Scene
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBS/AP) — Police documents indicate that a New York officer feared he'd shot a colleague during a chaotic 2010 incident that resulted in the death of a college football player from Massachusetts.
The documents were released Monday by the father of Pace University football player Danroy Henry Jr.
The New York attorneys representing the Henry family posted the documents on their website Monday.
According to the documents, Mount Pleasant Officer Ronald Beckley told a lieutenant a few hours after the shooting that he feared he had shot Pleasantville Officer Aaron Hess.
Hess has said he shot Henry after being hit by Henry's car and thrown onto the hood.
The family of DJ Henry allege the car was moving at a reasonable speed. They say Hess jumped in front of the car, "ascended" the hood and fired at their son for no good reason.
He was cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury.
Passengers riding in the car with Henry both mentioned that condensation made it difficult to see out the windshield. It's not clear if the condensation figured into the confrontation that led to the death of Henry. One passenger said in a police interview that the windows had fogged up. The other said in a deposition that he couldn't see out the front because of condensation.
Officer Beckley described hearing gunshots, saying he saw the car speeding toward him, and fired his own gun. Then he saw that Hess was the person on the hood.
He cried with relief when he learned his fellow officer was unharmed.
There were a number of differing accounts from the scene. An EMT who responded described it as "chaotic" and "riot-like."
Several witnesses stated that it took close to a half hour for an ambulance to arrive.
Autopsy results found Henry's blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit, but the family says Henry was not drunk.
One student who was with Henry at the bar told police Henry had not been drinking. She said she had offered him a drink, but Henry declined, saying he had to drive.
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