NEW ROCHELLE, NY (July 6, 2025) — Two years after the fatal shooting of Jarrel Garris by New Rochelle Police Detective Steven Conn, Garris’ father, Mr. Fowler, is still seeking answers from city leadership, according to an open letter released on July 3, 2025.
In the letter, Fowler recounts a meeting held in August 2023 via Zoom with the Mayor of New Rochelle, the City Manager, City Council members, and the Police Commissioner.
During the meeting, Fowler and his family posed critical questions about police training and accountability, but he says those questions remain unanswered.
The family asked about the race relations and community engagement training provided to New Rochelle police officers, as well as training for handling citizens experiencing mental health or drug-related crises. They also inquired about the frequency of psychiatric evaluations for active officers, specifically when Detective Conn was last evaluated before the July 3, 2023, shooting. Additionally, they questioned why no disciplinary actions were taken against Conn, who was promoted just a month prior to the incident.
“The lack of answers from City leadership, even after two years, speaks volumes,” Fowler wrote. He described the silence as a “complete failure in transparency, accountability, and integrity—values these elected and appointed officials swore to uphold.”
Fowler, who resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, emphasized that the city’s silence demonstrates a lack of respect for both his family’s grief and the community’s right to know the truth. “The Mayor, the City Manager, the City Council, and the Police Commissioner of New Rochelle have chosen silence over accountability,” he stated, adding that their failure to communicate contradicts their duty to act with honesty and fairness.
The letter concludes with a call for justice, signed by Fowler as the father of Jarrel Garris.
He included hashtags #justiceforjarrel, #wemustceetwoit, and #PoliceAccountabilityNow to highlight his ongoing pursuit of answers.
Fowler noted that his family is not alone in seeking the truth about the incident, signaling broader community support for accountability in the case.
Demand Termination of Detective Steven Conn in New Rochelle
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.