MIDDLETOWN – A federal wrongful death case in which two Middletown City Police officers shot and killed a man will now proceed to trial.
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a motion for summary judgment made by officers Patricia Doremus and Frank Speranza. The two shot and killed Lennord Anthony Whittle on November 19, 2013 in Middletown.
The trial judge determined that a jury had to decide disputed issues of material fact and that she could not say as a matter of law that the shooting was justified.
Among the unsettled, disputed issues are was Whittle approaching the police officers when they shot him, was he threatening them with a knife and whether any force, including lethal force, was required to subdue him. After being taunted, he had pulled a knife and chased a man around a convenience store on Academy Avenue.
Police were called, responded and within a few moments, the two officers fired 10 shots, killing Whittle.
Whittle was mentally challenged and in daily programs in Middletown.
An Orange County grand jury found the two officers were justified in
the shooting.
