Lawyer For Family Of Kenneth Chamberlain ID's Cop Who Allegedly Shouted Racial Slur Before Shooting
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The name of a White Plains police officer who allegedly shouted a racial slur moments before a 68-year-old African-American man was shot dead by another officer has been released.
WCBS 880's John Metaxas reports
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Randolph McLaughlin, the lawyer for the family of shooting victim Kenneth Chamberlain, said he'd like to see an indictment against White Plains Officer Steven Hart, who allegedly shouted the "N-word" before Chamberlain was shot and killed by another officer at his White Plains home in November.
Officers were responding to a medic alert, not a crime, when the confrontation occurred, said McLaughlin.
Officers banged on the door and threatened Chamberlain, according to McLaughlin, who said the racial slur can be heard clearly on an audio tape made by Chamberlain's medic alert service.
Both Officer Hart and the alleged shooter, Officer Anthony Carelli, have civil cases pending against them over prior incidents.
McLaughlin said the family is planning a lawsuit against the City of White Plains for the violation of Chamberlain's civil rights.
Police have said that the deadly force was justified.
WCBS 880 reached out to the White Plains Police Department for comment, but have not heard back.
The family is calling on the district attorney to make the audio and video of the November 19 incident public. They said they fear a grand jury won't hear everything.
"For officers to make fun of the fact that he was a Marine, for them to taunt him the way they did, antagonize him, use the F word, then the N-word behind it, really there is no rationale for that. You were responding to a medical emergency," said Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr. "You weren't responding to a crime in progress."
The case will be presented to a grand jury next month.
