Surveillance Video Of Deadly Crown Heights Shooting Released

On the right side, you can see the suspect holding a gun from a doorway

A day after the Daily News columnist Michael Daly (and a News editorial) demanded that the NYPD release video of the shooting between a murder suspect and police that left an innocent bystander dead, the NYPD has made the video public. It shows suspect Leroy Webster exiting a building on Park Place, shooting and killing Eusi Johnson, and then how police fire at Webster as he tries to reenter the building. However, it does not show slain neighbor Denise Gay, who may have been killed by a police bullet.

Initially police believed that Gay was killed by Webster, who was using a 9mm, but ballistics testing showed that the bullet is actually more similar to a bullet used in a Glock—which is what some of the police officers used (and the police fired 73 shots at Webster). Police spokesman Paul Browne said that witnesses saw Webster's victim, Johnson, with a gun, though a gun has not been found. "Was it one of the officers’ Glocks?" Browne rhetorically asked. "Possibly. Was it from the gun witnesses said Mr. Johnson had, but has not been recovered? Possibly."

The NY Times spoke to a witness, Lars Johnson, who "thought it was quite likely that officers on Franklin Avenue fired the shot that killed Ms. Gay. He said that while some officers stood across from Mr. Webster’s stoop, others stood at the end of the block, at Franklin Avenue. Between Ms. Gay’s stoop and Mr. Webster’s stoop is a tree that might have kept Ms. Gay out of view of the officers on Franklin, Mr. Russell said."

A former police firearms instructor told the Times "the number of shots fired — 73 — and the number that missed their mark — all but 2 — was not unusual. He said that the fact that two police officers were shot made 'for more frayed nerves,' which he said decreased accuracy. He added that the shooting also occurred at close range, and that the closer officers were to a threat, the more bullets they were likely to fire."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on September 9, 2011 1:36 PM

Comments [rss]

Nick Nienaber

the video pretty clearly shows that Eusi Johnson didn't fire any shots, at least once he was outside of the building (and in a position where he could have killed Denise Gay). he runs out of the building and doesn't stop until he's well out of frame, at which point the police have already opened fire on Webster.

add to that the fact that no gun was found on or near his body, and ballistics has ruled out Webster's weapon as the one that fired the fatal bullet...not a pretty picture for the NYPD.

also...

"the number of shots fired — 73 — and the number that missed their mark — all but 2 — was not unusual. He said that the fact that two police officers were shot made 'for more frayed nerves,' which he said decreased accuracy. He added that the shooting also occurred at close range, and that the closer officers were to a threat, the more bullets they were likely to fire."

by the NYPD's own statistics, this is pretty incorrect. accuracy is lower in a firefight than in non-combat situations, but on average the NYPD is still nearly ten times this accurate even under fire; and that's not accounting for the fact that accuracy also increases at close range. on average, they also fire roughly 30% fewer rounds than in this situation.

BKExcuse

"more similar to a bullet used in a Glock"

Glocks can use 9mm,10mm, .40, .45, .357, and .380. They can also be modified to use almost any other round.

TakeThePledge

I AM glad they got the guy. Doing what he did got that lady killed.

Pierce Inverarity

So police lied and said it was from Webster's gun. Then , oops!, there's surveillance video that shows Webster shooting in a direction opposite where Gay was. And Oops!, ballistics says it could not have come from Webster's gun. Who was shooting in the direct of Gay? That's right, the police were. How many shots did they fire? That's right 73.

And yet still, this scumbag Paul Browne, has the balls to come up with a different lie.

petey2

73 shots. 2 missed. That means 71 hit at a shooter who was shooting at the police who had just shot and killed someone else.

anyone who thinks the police are wrong in this are out of their minds.

Nick Nienaber

you probably need to read the story again.

petey2

reversed those #'s. I think they did a great job considering only 1 of the 71 that didn't hit the shooter, hit someone else.

Nick Nienaber

that's an interesting place to set the bar for "great job", but you are of course entitled to your opinion.

Guest

So, police did their job and killed a filthy, hopeless savage and know-it-all jerks, like you, put them in a position to have to defend themselves for it. There's no winning with people like you, so why no lie and get it over with, instead of having to fight to keep their jobs every time a savage goes crazy in the streets.