NYPD Officer Who Pepper Sprayed State Senator Was Sentenced By The Court

A court for the NYPD exonerated the officer who pepper-sprayed state senator Zellnor Myrie at a 2020 George Floyd demonstration.

NYC Protest.Photo byClay BanksonUnsplash

A request for comment by publication was not met with a response from either the CCRB or the NYPD.

The misbehavior case is only one of many that NYPD officers dealt with as a result of the George Floyd demonstrations.

This incident was one of many that came about on May 29, 2020, after a confrontation between demonstrators and police in the area of Barclays Center turned chaotic.

Misbehavior Claims Were Made Against Two NYPD Officers

According to the federal lawsuit, members of the Civilian Complaint Review Board later confirmed misbehavior claims made against two of the officers engaged in the incident.

As a result, there was a CCRB trial for potential discipline, and according to Myrie, the judge exonerated at least one officer.

Myrie points out that the judge who rendered a decision on the NYPD complaint—which he points out was not brought by him—is a deputy commissioner of the NYPD. He found that the charged officer had not only committed no misconduct but that his actions were also "appropriate."

The Second Officer Received a Less Severe Command Sanction

Keechant Sewell, the commissioner of the NYPD, has the last say in determining internal police punishment, and according to Myrie, Sewell approved of the judge's ruling despite acknowledging the officer's actions as seen in the trial's body camera evidence.

Sean Hecker, Myrie's attorney in the federal action, expressed disappointment but was not surprised that the CCRB process had failed the Senator.

Two policemen are mentioned in federal court records as having had their conduct approved by CCRB watchdogs.

Officer Jessica Clinton, who is also mentioned as a defendant in the federal lawsuit, received a less severe command sanction, losing up to five vacation days for using physical force.

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