National
Family Of Ramarley Graham, Bronx Teen Killed By NYPD, Fills Courtroom As Judge Clears Way For Civil Case
The parents of Ramarley Graham, Constance Malcolm, right, and Frank Graham, cry during a news conference outside the courthouse in New York, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. New York City Police Dept. officer Richard Haste has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges in the February shooting of Graham. Police pursued Graham into his Bronx home during a drug investigation last February. He was shot once at close range. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
U.S. DISTRICT COURT — The family of Ramarley Graham, the unarmed teen gunned down by police in his own home, hope that a federal civil suit will offer a second chance at justice that was denied when the criminal case against the police officer who shot Graham fell apart.
The lawsuit, and another filed by Graham’s neighbor who was threatened by police just before the shooting, was cleared to proceed by U.S. District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel Tuesday. Both suits name former Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and the NYPD as defendants.
“[Officer] Richard Haste should have been indicted,” said Ramarley Graham‘s mother Constance Malcolm, referring to the officer who fired the fatal shot at her son almost two years ago. “The courtroom today was packed, which shows people want to see justice done.”
On Feb. 2, 2012, officers from a special narcotics unit chased Graham, 18, from White Plains Road and East 228th Street to his home at 749 E. 229th St. in Wakefield because officers investigating a drug deal believed Graham had a gun in his waistband.
Officers chased Graham into his home, and Officer Richard Haste fatally shot the teen once in the chest in the bathroom. Police say they recovered a small bag of marijuana in the toilet. No weapon was found.
