In April, a Bronx teen tragically died after he fell six stories from a Bronx building apartment. Hakeem Kuta and group of other teenagers had been smoking marijuana in the lobby of a Bronx building. Four New York police officers tried to approach the group, but one member allegedly put his arms out as they tried to come through the door. Immediately after, several kids ran up the stairs of the building to the roof.
Several officers continued to chase the group up the stairs. At the top of the roof, the members scattered in different directions, including hopping a short wall to an adjoining roof in order to get away. Mr. Kuta ran, but became blocked in by a 10-foot wall on the roof of an adjacent building. While the officers were several feet away, Mr. Kuta began to move back and forth and tried to step over another shorter wall on the edge of the building.
Unfortunately, Mr. Kuta began to fall back and he tried to grasp his friend to prevent from falling. The momentum, however, carried him down. The police were able to pull the other boy back from falling as well. The police called for paramedics and emergency personnel rushed Mr. Kuta to the hospital where he remained in critical condition. The following day, however, the boy died from his injuries that he suffered in the fall.
Apparently No Foul Play Involved in the Bronx Accident
The police recovered marijuana from the building, but did not make any arrests. According to Stephen P. Davis, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, a preliminary investigation of the accident revealed that the officers acted appropriately in this situation. Mr. Davis said that the officers “have a right, if not a responsibility, to pursue them to find out what’s going on” and that the boy miscalculated the distance.”
Some believe, however, that the police may not have acted appropriately in the situation. In a New York Times article, Eugene J. O’Donnell, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, was quoted as saying that the incident shows “police ethos is overwhelmingly an action ethos with little opportunity for reflection.” And when this happens, unattended tragedies can happen that could have been avoided.
Contact a Bronx Accident Attorney at the Law Office of Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum
Throughout the last few months, the actions of police officers have been all over the news in New York and across the United States. If you are involved in an accident in which the police acted inappropriately, a Bronx accident attorney at the Law Office of Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum can help protect your legal rights. Unfair, unjust and unlawful treatment is not appropriate, especially from the very police force that is hired to protect.
Contact a Bronx accident attorney today at the Law Office of Jeffrey K. Kestenbaum for a free initial consultation and case evaluation. You can call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 718-237-5586. We want to help you protect your rights.
