POUGHKEEPSIE – A large group of area residents, members of the
Hudson Valley Black Lives Matter Coalition and members of Samuel Harrell’s
family marched down Market Street to the Dutchess County District Attorney’s
Office Thursday.
Harrell
Harrell, a black prisoner at Fishkill Correctional Facility, diagnosed
with bipolar disorder, was killed at the prison, reportedly by corrections
officers.
Harrell was killed on April 21 when up to 20 officers, in a group called
the Beat Up Squad, allegedly shouted racial slurs as they beat him and
threw down a flight of stairs.
District Attorney William Grady has not yet filed charges against anyone
at the prison and the protested called on him to do so, but he announced
Thursday that his office will conduct a joint investigation into Harrell’s
death along with the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
“The very nature of this case calls for a full, fair and objective
investigation into not only potential law violations but constitutional
violations as well,” Grady said. “Over the past several days,
I have discussed these issues with prosecutors from the office of Preet
Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Given
the expertise of that office in this area, we have agreed to conduct a
joint investigation of this case.”
Harrell’s widow, Diana, had a statement read at the protest. “I
will always remember Sam as a kind, loving, sensitive man who cared deeply
for his friends and family. I cannot bear the thought of my husband’s
last few minutes of life. I cannot help but visualize his beaten body.”
