Nathaniel Levi Gaines

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Nathaniel Levi Gaines
Born 1971
Died July 4, 1996
New York City
Occupation Highway toll taker

Nathaniel Levi Gaines (1971—July 4, 1996) was an African-American resident of Yonkers, New York[1] who, in a case of illegal use of deadly force, was fatally shot by a member of the New York City Transit Police, a division of New York City Police Department. Gaines was a veteran of service in the Persian Gulf War, and was known to have no criminal record, nor any history of encouters with police or law enforcement agencies[2]

Contents

[edit] Shooting

The July 4, 1996 altercation between Gaines and police officer Paolo Colecchia, which resulted in Gaines' death[3] occurred on the 167th Street subway station platform of the "D" line in the Bronx[4][5]. Collechia reported after the incident that there had been a struggle between himself and Gaines in the subway station, claiming that Gaines had tried to grab his gun and push him onto the railway track. However, it became clear that the officer knew during the struggle that Gaines was not in possession of any weapon.

[edit] Controversy

Due to the nature of the crime, and the fact that the officer was white and the victim black, the story caused large scale disruption and controversy across New York. As well as racial discord, there was also controversy over the actions of police officers and their conduct and the increasing number of officers accused of using excessive force.[6]

[edit] Criminal charges

Collechia, who had a history of civilian complaints made against him to the NYPD, was sentenced to a maximum of 5-15 years in prison for homicide, the city's third police officer to be sentenced for committing the crime while on active duty.[7].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tests Raise Doubt about justification of shooting: section The New York Times. Retrieved on 28/10/2007
  2. ^ Collins, Alison. Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in The United States Page 292. ISBN 1564321835
  3. ^ Lawrence, Regina. The Politics of force: Media and the Construction of Police Brutality Page 20. ISBN 0520221923]
  4. ^ Location of shooting Southbound D Platform, New York City Subway.
  5. ^ Fatal Gunshot Fired By Police officer The New York Times (July 09, 1996)
  6. ^ Policing issue: Who Guards the Guards? The New York Times (October 15, 1996). Retrieved on 28/10/2007
  7. ^ Prison term for officer who killed unarmed man Paragraph 4. Retrieved on 28/10/2007