NEW ROCHELLE, NY (July 13, 2023) — The Westchester County Medical Examiner issued a statement on the cause of death of Jerrell Garris, a man shot by a New Rochelle Police officer on July 3rd.
His death was determined to be a homicide caused by a bullet would in the neck involving cervical spine and spinal cord.
The countywide police association representing New Rochelle PBA members disclosed information about Jerrell Garris’ criminal history, past drug use and mental health.
Through their attorney, the Garris family issued a response to the police association statement.
The Garris family set up a GoFundMe Page.
The City of New Rochelle issued a statement deferring questions about the incident to the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
The New Rochelle City Council issued a statement.
In 2021, we published a detailed report based on disciplinary records obtained under FOIL for hundreds of current and former police officers going back more than 50 years. Det. Steven Conn was among them; we are republishing that report below along with all information for Det. Conn.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I have sought, under Freedom of Information requests, all available public records for Jerrell Garris from the City of New Rochelle, New Rochelle Police Department, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, City of Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon Police Department, New York State Attorney General’s Office and requested that the Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester share whatever records support their statement (see below).
Statement from Westchester County Medical Center
The case of Mr. Garris from New Rochelle with police involve shooting on 7/3/2023.
Cause of Death: Bullet wound of neck involving cervical spine and spinal cord.
Manner of Death: Homicide.
Aleksandar Milovanovic, M. D., DABP , Deputy Medical Examiner.
Statement from Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester
On July 3, 2023, a team of New Rochelle police officers once again experienced how there is no such thing as a “routine” arrest, and how the unpredictable actions of one person can instantly elevate a simple arrest to a life and death situation.
Members of the New Rochelle Police Department received a complaint that an individual now known to be Jarrell Garris had committed a larceny at a local market. Three uniformed members of the New Rochelle Police Department, including Detective Steven Conn, observed Garris and attempted to take him into custody using a minimal amount of force. During this lawful arrest, Garris fought with the officers and resisted arrest. As the officers tried to gain control of Garris, they fell to the ground. Unexpectedly and unpredictably, Garris placed both hands on the grip of an officer’s firearm and repeatedly pulled at it in an effort to remove it from its holster. Body worn camera footage confirms conclusively that Garris intentionally grabbed the officer’s gun with both hands and attempted to pull it from its holster. Faced with a split-second life and death decision, and aware that Garris could have full control of the officer’s handgun in a heartbeat, Detective Conn justifiably fired one round at Garris, stopping the threat and saving the lives of the officers present.
Officers immediately used lifesaving techniques in an attempt to save Garris’ life and he was quickly transported to Westchester Medical Center. Tragically, having been on life support since the incident, Jarrell Garris died on Monday evening. The APA offers our condolences to the entire Garris family and to the New Rochelle community.
The APA fully recognizes the importance of full and complete transparency in all police involved shootings. We are pleased that the New Rochelle Police Department quickly released the body worn camera footage of this incident so that the public can have a true understanding of what happened and why and we look forward to a fair and expeditious review of this case by the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Unfortunately, a number of press releases and media reports have been less than transparent and have omitted many important factors that will help the public more clearly understand what led to Jarrell Garris’ death. While body camera footage clearly shows that Garris attempted to rip a handgun from one of the police officer’s holsters, there is much background information that the public should know to have a clearer picture of how and why this happened.
For the sake of transparency, here are some facts the public should be aware of: Jarrell Garris had a lengthy criminal past and a history of mental health issues, including schizophrenia. At the time of his death, he was on felony probation for Attempted Arson in the Third Degree following his arrest for setting fire to a trash chute in a Municipal Housing Residence in New Rochelle. He was sentenced to probationary supervision for five years on November 9, 2022, with his probation supervision transferred to North Carolina. On the date of his death, he was an absconder from North Carolina, and was not authorized to be in New York; earlier that same day, he had broken into the home of a New Rochelle resident.
Throughout his life, Jarrell Garris was subject to multiple arrests and convictions, including a 2007 felony conviction that resulted in a probationary term of five years. That plea covered a number of additional crimes, which included resisting arrest and reckless endangerment. His 2022 plea to Attempted Arson covered a number of local charges in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle as well, including a second allegation of Attempted Arson in the Fifth Degree.
Garris was a known user of dangerous and illegal drugs. In fact, he was admitted to Mount Vernon Hospital on July 1, 2023 – just two days before this shooting – after being observed self-mutilating himself in public. While detained, he acknowledged that he was under the influence of PCP. He was treated and released from Mount Vernon Hospital.
In summary, Jarrell Garris had a long and troubled history of mental health and legal issues, which by and large, went unaddressed. While the New Rochelle officers attempting to arrest Mr. Garris may not have known his complete criminal and mental health history, they did know that he was properly and legally subject to arrest. They also knew that, at the moment he was shot, Garris was attempting to gain control of one of their firearms. This is the risk police officers take every day: that a seemingly simple arrest can become a life and death struggle without warning.
Sadly, Congressman Jamal Bowman has ignored all facts and has wrongly accused the officers of police brutality. Bowman dangerously continues to push his false narrative in a cheap attempt to score political points and, as usual, offers no solutions on how to solve the problem of violent mentally ill people roaming our streets. Instead, when tragedy happens, he predictably blames the police and ignores his own responsibilities as an elected official.
The simple yet tragic fact is that Detective Conn’s actions were made necessary by the actions of Jarrell Garris. Had Detective Conn not taken swift and decisive action, we could very easily be mourning the death of multiple police officers. Noting that nearly 200 police officers have been shot in the line of duty in the U.S. in 2023, with 28 fatally shot while protecting the communities they served, we are thankful that Detective Conn and all of the responding New Rochelle police officers are alive today.
The Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester offers its unequivocable support to the men and women of the New Rochelle Police Department. We remember that our job is never “routine” and we recognize the dangers inherent in policing and the risks faced by our Westchester police community every day. We thank the members of the New Rochelle Police Department – and all of the police departments throughout the County – for keeping our neighborhoods and families safe.
Statement by City of New Rochelle
The involvement of a New Rochelle police officer in a shooting, no matter how rare, and no matter the circumstances, is a trauma for our entire community. For the family and friends of Jarrell Garris, that trauma is infinitely more personal, and our thoughts are with them at a moment of heavy, painful grief.
The City is dedicated to supporting a thorough outside investigation, and we welcome the engagement and leadership of the New York State Attorney General. The Attorney General now has the authority to make all decisions related to the release of any additional information, including body camera footage. The City has no objection to the release of such information, if judged appropriate by the AG.
This tragic incident raises a range of questions and concerns, many of which cannot be addressed until the AG’s investigation is completed. Within this constraint, the City remains committed to openness, respectful dialogue, and constructive action, with the goal now and always of building a community that is safe and just for all of its residents.
Statement From The Family Of Jarrel Garris
Another unarmed Black man was killed by police, and yet another defensive, insensitive, and irresponsible response from a police association.
How does a detective from a neighboring police department with no role in the investigation purport to know what the unreleased body camera video shows when the family nor the community whose taxes pay for the equipment and salaries of the officers that use it don’t know?
The family applauds Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s consistent courage to speak up for the members of his district and looks askance at the NRPD’s carefully curated release of some videos but not all videos while feigning transparency.
Even more distressing is the blatant character assassination of Jarrel. The exposé of his criminal record and personal history is legally irrelevant to the fundamental question of was the shooting legally justified. The association has taken an excerpt from page 2 of the police PR playbook, the classic, but he was a criminal routine, which suggests that someone’s past makes their extra-judicial killing acceptable; it does not.
Perhaps the discussion should be about the shooter’s background, his disciplinary record, his history of aggression, racism, or incompetence.
Perhaps it’s time to stop blaming the victims and start focusing on the killers’ histories.
GoFundMe Page created by the family of Jarrell Garris
Jarrel was a son, brother, nephew, cousin, and most importantly a loving father to his son, Jeremiah. He impacted the lives of all who knew him because to know him was to love him. This unexpected tragedy has placed a financial burden on the Fowler and Garris families. To honor and lay Jarrel to rest in the way he deserves, we ask that you consider donating to assist the family in covering Jarrel’s funeral costs. We would be grateful to all if we could raise at least $15,000 through your generous donations to cover these unforeseen expenses.” writes his father Raymond Fowler.
To view the GoFundMe, click here.
NRPD Det. Steven Conn Disciplinary Record: Grade A
After Governor Cuomo repealed 50a on June 12, 2020, Talk of the Sound spent about a year pulling and prodding the New Rochelle Police Department to release disciplinary records for hundreds of current and former officers going back more than 50 years. In April 2021, we entered all the records in a database, scored each sustained complaints against each officer then ranked the officers using an A-F letter grading system.
At the time, Detective Steven Conn had no sustained disciplinary charges against him and received an “A” ranking, placing him among the top officers in our database.
How We Created the Talk of the Sound New Rochelle Police Department Disciplinary Records Database (April 2021)
Statement by New Rochelle City Council (Mayor Noam Bramson and Council Members Martha Lopez, Albert Tarantino, Yadira Ramos-Herbert, Ivar Hyden, Sara Kaye, and Liz Fried):
It has been more than a week since the officer-involved shooting that ultimately claimed the life of Jarrell Garris. This incident is now the subject of an independent investigation by the New York State Attorney General – an investigation that the City of New Rochelle fully supports – and it is not possible for us as public officials to comment on the specific issues under review, including the chain of events, decisions, and actions on July 3rd. But we already know where that chain leads: a man is dead, a family is in grief, a community is shaken, and hard-won trust between the police and those they serve is being tested.
Before this tragedy, New Rochelle had made meaningful progress – from the utilization of body cameras, to the establishment of the Police-Community Partnership Board, to the engagement of the County’s Mobile Crisis Response Team, to the creation of the African-American Advisory Committee, to a host of other initiatives and practices encompassed within our Police Reform Plan. We know that the NRPD’s commitment to best practices and positive community engagement is genuine and is demonstrated by officers every single day. Yet the fact that our city is now in mourning makes it clear that all of us face continuing challenges.
For those of us in City leadership, it must be our responsibility to acknowledge the deep pain felt by so many of our residents, to understand the source of that pain, to welcome accountability, and to continue engaging in a thoughtful analysis of policies and procedures.
With the deepest sympathies for the family of Jarrell Garris, and with respect for all who have been touched by this tragedy, we recommit ourselves to the goal of a strong and united community, in which all people feel safe and respected, in which the vital role of our police earns trust and honor, and in which each of us strives to find common ground with our neighbors.
