New York Attorney General Letitia James has released body-worn camera footage of the death of Lamin Simmons on June 19, following an encounter with New York City police officers in Brooklyn. The footage was obtained by the Attorney General’s Office as part of an ongoing investigation by its Office of Special Investigation.
NYPD officers responded to a 911 call at a building on Kosciuszko Street around 5:45am on June 19. After arriving, officers reported hearing multiple gunshots inside the building. When officers opened the front door, they allegedly saw Simmons holding a gun and retreated.
At 8:52am, officers with the NYPD Emergency Service Unit entered the building and allegedly saw Simmons holding a gun. Officers directed Simmons to drop the weapon, but he allegedly fired instead, according to the investigation. Multiple officers discharged their service weapons, striking Simmons.
Simmons was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An NYPD ESU detective was also struck by gunfire and taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and later recovered. Two firearms were recovered at the scene.
The footage release gives the public access to video recorded during the encounter and follows James’ directive that camera footage obtained during OSI investigations be released to promote transparency and public trust.
Under New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses incidents in which a police or peace officer may have caused a person’s death. The law applies whether an officer is on or off duty and whether the person who died was armed, unarmed, in custody or incarcerated.
The footage release does not express an opinion on the guilt or innocence of any party or whether anyone should face criminal charges. OSI will continue investigating the incident and determine whether further action is warranted.
