WHITE PLAINS – The US
Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has announced
that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal charges
in connection with the fatal shooting of Kenneth Chamberlain.
The 68-year-old man was killed during an encounter with White Plains Police
officers on November 19, 2011.
The US Attorney’s Office opened an investigation following the decision
by a New York State grand jury not to indict any of the officers involved.
On November 17, 2016, a federal grand jury in a civil case filed by Chamberlain’s
family concluded White Plains officers who shot Chamberlain were not liable
for his death.
After conducting a thorough and independent investigation, the US Attorney’s
Office said it has determined there is insufficient evidence to meet the
high burden of proof required for a federal criminal civil rights prosecution.
The evidence from the investigation revealed that a medical alert company
received an alert from Chamberlain’s apartment in the Winbrook Houses
complex. The operator for Life Aid received no response to an inquiry
she made to Chamberlain so she called the police.
When officers arrived at his apartment, Chamberlain would not let them
in, but when they got the door open, he poked a knife at them. It was
safely taken away, but when they tried to check on Chamberlain, he had
another knife. One officer tasered him, but that didn’t not incapacitate
the man who lunged toward an officer, resulting in another policeman shooting
and killing Chamberlain.
The federal investigation determined that the officers believed Chamberlain
was threatening the officer with a knife and that the police officer who
fired the fatal shot believed the other officer was in danger of being
seriously injured by Chamberlain.
