The New York Attorney General’s office is investigating the Nov. 10 death of Jermaine Hickson, a Brooklyn man who was shot and killed by police after allegedly opening fire on officers.
Officers from the New York City Police Department heard shots fired near 36th Street and Neptune Avenue in Coney Island just after 10pm, according to the AG’s office and a spokesperson from the New York City Police Department. Two women ran up to officers on patrol nearby and said the gunman was shooting at them. At that time, additional gunfire triggered ShotSpotter and two people called 911 to report the gunshots.
When the NYPD arrived on the scene, they discovered 42-year-old Hickson, who allegedly started shooting at the cops. Officers returned fire and hit Hickson, then performed CPR until emergency medical services arrived.
The alleged gunman was pronounced dead at the scene, where cops also recovered a gun, according to the AG’s office.
Under state law, the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation must assess every incident where a police officer may have killed someone, be it “by act or omission,” according to the OSI. If the office finds that an officer caused the death, it begins a full investigation of the event.
NYPD Chief of Patrol Jeffrey Maddrey said at a press conference on the night of the shooting the department believes Hickson was involved in a domestic violence incident at the time of the shootout.
“We believe the two females that initially waved down the sergeant are the victims in this case,” he said.
It was not clear at the time of the shooting how many shots were fired by NYPD members or the suspect, Maddrey said, but he believed that four officers had fired. A department investigation of the incident is ongoing. A number of officers were taken to local hospitals for treatment of minor injuries.
The New York Daily News reported that Hickson struggled with alcoholism after the death of his mother two years ago, and that surveillance video showed him arguing with his girlfriend outside a deli immediately before he began firing.