Gidone Busch
Gidone Busch was a 31-year-old Torah observant Jew who was shot to death by officers of the New York City Police Department on August 30, 1999 in Borough Park, Brooklyn. Busch, a mentally disturbed man also suffering from kidney disease was wielding a hammer and threatening police when he was shot. The killing was highly controversial because Busch was armed with a hammer and accounts of the incident varied widely.
Legal proceedings
On November 1, 1999 a Brooklyn grand jury declined to indict the four officers involved in the shooting, citing the fact that Busch presented a threat to the officers and had refused orders to drop the hammer.
Gidone Busch's mother Doris Busch-Boskey and her attorneys then filed a Federal suit, claiming Busch's civil rights had been violated by the officers. However on June 5, 2001 the Justice Department declined to file charges announcing they agreed excessive force had not been used.
Civil proceedings
In October, 2003 Ms. Busch-Boskey's lawsuit against the NYPD reached Federal Court. However, the Busch family was dealt another blow when on November 17, 2003 the jury supported the police officers' version of the shooting and found the officers and the city not liable in the death of Mr. Busch.[1] However, on September 9, 2004 federal judge, Sterling Johnson, a former police officer, found serious issues with the police officers' version of the events leading up to Mr. Busch's shooting as well as their truthfulness of their testimony and overturned the jury verdict ordering a new trial. The Busch Family declined to pursue another trial for family health reasons, announcing their decision on August 27, 2006. Too date Mr. Busch's mother, Doris Busch Boskey seeks justice for her son.
References
- Kifner, John. "No Charges Against Officers in Fatal Brooklyn Shooting." The New York Times, 2 November 1999, B1.