NEW ROCHELLE, NY — An update from the New Rochelle Police Department released tonight states that Kamal Flowers was struck twice not once as stated by Mayor Noam Bramson and Police Commissioner Joe Schaller at a press conference on June 6.
The update no longer mentions a “tussle” between Flowers and PO Alec McKenna.
The update no longer says Flowers tried to fire his gun at McKenna only that he displayed a gun.
The update also rows back on the claim by the Mayor and Police Commissioner that the vehicle involved in the incident had tinted windows. As first reported by Talk of the Sound, there was no report of tinted windows either June 3 or June 5 and CCTV video from June 5 shows the vehicle did not have tinted windows.
As readers know, Talk of the Sound has been persistently seeking public records and asking many questions of City of New Rochelle and New Rochelle Police Department officials since the hours immediately after the shooting death of Kamal Flowers up until now and still has more than a dozen Freedom of Information requests pending throughout New York State.
In response to our inquiries, the City and Police Department have released some records and has tonight provided updated information related to our inquiries which, among other things confirm our report last week that the Police Officer who shot and killed Kamal Flowers is Alex McKenna.
We will address some of the discrepancies in a subsequent article but for now note there is no longer any mention of tinted windows, the tag on the Virginia plates is not mentioned (even thought the June 3 NRPD Incident Report has the tag logged during the incident). The updated below does not state the responding officers failed to observe the Black Dodger Charger and information about the Virginia plates was not provided by Dispatch to the responding officers at any point during the incident response.
NRPD Statement June 12, 2020
Updated Information – New Rochelle Police Officer involved shooting on June 5, 2020
In response to several press inquiries, the City of New Rochelle and the New Rochelle Police Department have constructed the following summary of the June 5, 2020 officer-involved shooting. To give a full picture of the events, new details are included along with those that have been previously reported. As the investigation proceeds, we will stand down on further announcements unless significant new information becomes available.
This summary is based on information we have as of today, June 16, 2020.
• June 3, 2020, at 5:48 pm, New Rochelle Police Department received a complaint of a suspicious Black Dodge Charger with Virginia license plates driving around the Heritage Homes property. The vehicle left the area and was not stopped by officers that day. (Transcript of phone call to NRPD to be provided).
• June 5, 2020, at approximately 10:54 pm two uniformed officers on patrol in an unmarked police car observed a Black Charger with Virginia plates and began to follow it. The car committed traffic infractions and the officers stopped it on Pierce St. near Potter Ave. The car stop can be seen on video obtained during the investigation.
• As the officers exited their patrol vehicle and approached the car, a passenger in the Black Charger exited the vehicle and fled eastbound on foot towards Potter Ave. Both officers began to pursue the subject on foot, as the officers approached Potter Ave on foot the Charger took off eastbound on Pierce St. and left the scene. One officer continued to pursue the subject who fled, the second returned to the police car. The foot pursuit continued from Pierce St across Potter Ave and eastbound on to Sharot St.
• The first officer on foot called out the pursuit over the police radio (audio previously released), and during his radio transmission broadcasted that the subject had a gun.
• At some point during the foot pursuit the first officer deployed his Department issued Taser two times. The Taser was ineffective in stopping the subject. From what we can determine at this time, the fleeing subject displayed a handgun at the officer in pursuit.
• The pursuit continued on to Sharot St where the first officer fired six rounds from his duty weapon, twice striking the subject who was later identified as Kamal Flowers.
• A 9-millimeter Ruger handgun, and a total of ten rounds of ammunition were located at the scene in close proximity to where Mr. Flower was lying on the ground. The gun was subsequently found to be defaced; its serial numbers had been scratched to obscure its identity. The gun is currently being processed at Westchester County Ballistics Unit.
• Other officers had arrived shortly and began to immediately provide first aid to Mr. Flowers until the arrival of the ambulance. Mr. Flowers was conveyed to New Rochelle Montefiore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The ER doctors advised investigating officers that Mr. Flowers sustained one bullet wound to the upper torso, armpit area.
• NRPD contacted the New York State Attorney General’s Office and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. Both offices sent personnel to the scene and police headquarters that night to conduct a preliminary investigation.
• Both officers have been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The officer who fired his weapon is Alec McKenna, a five-year veteran of the NRPD.
• New Rochelle Police Department is being assisted in this investigation by New York State Police investigators, and members of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. The NYS Attorney General’s Office has advised that they will not investigate this incident any further as per Executive Law due the fact that Flowers was armed with a handgun during the incident.
• The Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting the postmortem, and have not released their final report at this time. They have advised the Assistant District Attorneys and investigators assigned to this investigation that contrary to what was initially reported by the New Rochelle Montefiore Hospital medical staff, Mr. Flowers sustained two bullet wounds. The second wound was located in Mr. Flowers groin area.
• Thus far the New Rochelle Police Department has released a photograph of the recovered 9mm Ruger handgun (below), and audio and video recordings related to the incident. A transcript of the June 3rd call will be released with this update. Police Officer McKenna’s personnel records will be redacted and released in accordance with the newly enacted state legislation relative to police reform.
• The Dodge Charger was located and impounded by the New York State Police.
• The Medical Examiner’s report is pending. As this is on-going investigation, no further information will be released at this time.
Transcript June 3rd Call Reporting Suspicious Vehicle at Heritage Homes
THE CITY OF NEW ROCHELLE POLICE DEPARTMENT TELEPHONE SYSTEM
Digitally recorded telephone call on
DATE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020
TIME: 17:48:07
Transcribed by: Stephanie A. Colon
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: New Rochelle Police, CSO (NAME OMITTED). How can I help you?
ANONYMOUS CALLER: Hi, how are you
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: Hi.
ANONYMOUS CALLER: I’m a resident of — umm — Heritage Homes. Umm — I know there are units out here — um — I know with all that’s been going on? UM — I ask that because, there’s a — um — a black Dodge Charger with male occupants and it keeps circling through the complex several times. Um — it’s just — you know — with all that’s going on, I’m just — the way it keeps circling, it — it — just really looks suspicious.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: You said, a black Charger?
ANONYMOUS CALLER: A black Dodge Charger with like, Virginia plates on it. I can’t get the plate number.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: And do you know how many people are in it?
ANONYMOUS CALLER: When I seen it the last three times, it was two.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: Two. And where is it at, you said?
ANONYMOUS CALLER: It was — it’s circling throughout the complex, I don’t know which way it went.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: We’ll just — we’ll send somebody over to check it out.
ANONYMOUS CALLER: Thank you.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER: You’re, welcome. Bye.
(Recording ends)
EDITOR’S NOTE: We previously posted a list of open questions on June 11, a large FOIL request on June 12 , here is the status on those questions as of June 16. We will periodically update the list.
- Was Kamal Flowers the person who had a firearm during the Mount Vernon car robbery or was it the person with him or both?
- Are there any additional records out there?
- Is it true that there was a warrant out for Flowers’s arrest at the time he was killed?
- Is it the case that, as many have said, that Flowers suffered from mental illness? How would that effect his mindset on Friday? Was the New Rochelle Police Department aware of any illness?
Why do police records contradict the Mayor and Police Commissioner on the topic of “tinted windows”?
NRPD no longer claims the car had tinted windows.
- Is the audio from Friday night provided by the New Rochelle Police Department all of the available audio from that night?
- What exactly did the caller from Heritage Homes tell police when they called? What would make a car driving around at six in the evening suspicious. If they will not release the audio will they release a transcript of the call?
NRPD has released a transcript of the call.
- Is there CCTV video from Heritage Homes and traffic camera video in the area and any other video that show the Black Dodge Charger on the night of June 3 or June 5. Muhammad Sellers says he drove past responding patrol cars as they responded to Heritage Homes on June 3, is their dash cam video from the responding police vehicles?
- The CCTV video does not depict the use of a taser or switching from taser to gun.
The CCTV does not depict a “tussle” between Kamal Flowers and PO Alec McKenna.
NRPD no longer claims there was a tussle.
- The CCTV video from 29 Portman Road Sharot Street Side Camera (1:30 mark) seems to depict PO Alec McKenna shooting Kamal multiple times while Kamal Flowers is on the ground
- There is a glitch in the CCTV video from 44 Potter Road/Driveway Sharot Street)seems to show a glitch (3:42 mark) where it seems like PO Alec McKenna and Kamal Flowers disappear off the screen.
What is the job status of the two police officers involved in the incident?
NRPD says both officers have been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
- What is the name of the officer in the car with PO Alec McKenna?
RELATED:
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As Video is Released, New York AG Sides with New Rochelle Police: Kamal Flowers was Armed
Man Shot and Killed by New Rochelle Police
Oh, I get it. He only “displayed” a gun. You mean while running from a police officer in pursuit, he actually put his hand on a loaded weapon, and “displayed” it to the cop? Oh. You mean, like, “Hey, look what I’ve got!”? So the officer should have just stopped and said, “ Hey, cool..I’ve got one of those too!”?
Totally ridiculous, politically correct, public relations bullsh*t.
I think the officer should have waited during the “dislpay” by Mr.Flowers, for those little round pointed shiny things to come out of the end of the “displayed” weapon, towards him. Then maybe he could decide if it was displayed at him or “aimed” at him.
Display it , aim it, point it, show it, pretend it? Game over.