New York District Attorney Indicted in Cover-Up of Police Shooting of Unarmed Black Man

A New York district attorney was indicted by a state grand jury Friday afternoon on charges of official misconduct and perjury in relation to the investigation of an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of an unarmed black man after a traffic stop. Suggested Reading ‘Sinners’ Releases in Black American Sign Language. Here’s What…

A New York district attorney was indicted by a state grand jury Friday afternoon on charges of official misconduct and perjury in relation to the investigation of an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of an unarmed black man after a traffic stop.

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In Justice Today reports that Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel E. Abelove is accused of concealing evidence in the shooting of 37-year-old Edson Thevenin and then lying during the subsequent investigation. He is also accused of repeatedly interfering with New York Attorney General Eric Schneidermanโ€™s efforts to investigate the shooting. Thevenin was shot eight times and killed by Troy, N.Y., Police Sgt. Randall French after a traffic stop for suspected drunken driving went awry in April 2016.

In New York, a 2015 executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo requires the attorney general to investigate and criminally prosecute any case in which a police officer kills an unarmed civilian. Rather than provide Schneiderman with requested information related to the shooting, Abelove chose to present a truncated version of the case to a grand jury, and French was cleared of any wrongdoing less than a week after the shooting.

Abeloveโ€™s actions exemplify the type of behavior that Cuomoโ€™s executive order is meant to prevent.

โ€œAs we allege, District Attorney Abeloveโ€™s actions violated the law and undermined a criminal investigation,โ€ Schneiderman said. โ€œThe governorโ€™s executive order was designed to restore public confidence in our criminal-justice systemโ€Šโ€”โ€Šyet the actions we detail today only served to further erode that confidence.โ€

French pulled Thevenin over April 17, 2016, on suspicion of drunken driving. There was a short chase, after which French claimed that Thevenin attempted to run him over. He shot Thevenin through his windshield eight times. Witnesses who testified in front of Schneidermanโ€™s grand jury said that Frenchโ€™s life was not in danger at the time he shot Thevenin.

Abelove is charged with two misdemeanor counts of official misconduct and one count of perjury, which is a class D felony. If found guilty, he faces a possible sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

Now that he has been indicted, it is unclear whether Abeloveโ€”who is up for re-election next yearโ€”will remain district attorney. New York law gives the governor the power to remove a district attorney from office.

Read more at In Justice Today.

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