NYPD releases video of Brownsville subway shooting

The New York Police Department late Friday released bodycam and surveillance video footage of the shooting of Derell Mickles, which occurred on the Sutter Avenue L train platform in Brownsville.

Video surveillance footage shows Mickles jumping the turnstile at around 2:55 p.m. on September 15. Officers Alex Wong and Edmund Mays then follow Mickles up the stairs. Shortly after Mickles, two other people enter the station without paying, the footage shows.

A few minutes later, Mickles is seen leaving the station with a knife in his hand.

At around 3:04 p.m., Mickles returns to the station. After waiting for the emergency exit to open, Mickles enters the station for the second time, according to the footage.

Officer Wong’s body camera footage shows Mickles, 37, on the platform with a knife. Wong and Officer Edmund Mays repeatedly tell him to drop the knife and show his hands. Mickles then boards a northbound L train and tells officers to leave him alone.

Both officers used their tasers on Mickles, but it did not work. The footage shows Mickles running out of the subway car and running down the platform, where he stops.

According to text included in the video footage, the NYPD stated that Officer Wong fired six shots from his service weapon and Officer Mays fired three shots.

The NYPD shooting injured Mickles, who is currently hospitalized, according to Gothamist. A 49-year-old bystander was fatally shot in the head and a 26-year-old woman was grazed by a bullet.

Mickles was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree assault, threatening a police officer, theft of services and fourth-degree illegal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said.

New York Mayor Eric Adams, who last week praised the police for their “restraint,” said after the footage was released that no one wanted to see innocent people being hurt.

“Our condolences go out to the innocent bystanders of this incident and their families, and like all New Yorkers, we pray for their speedy recovery,” the mayor said in a statement.

“We all agree that public safety and justice are the prerequisites for prosperity and must go hand in hand. Every day we fight to reduce crime on our streets and subways, and our government remains committed to keeping New Yorkers safe. While this case remains under investigation, the NYPD’s initial investigation found that this shooting occurred after the suspect involved brandished a dangerous weapon and put officers’ lives in danger. While the formal investigation is ongoing, I will not comment further out of respect for this process. As a young man and throughout my career as a former police officer and as an elected official, I have spent my entire career fighting for both public safety and police reform, and I have made it clear that I expect a police department that is professional, impartial, and just. The NYPD continues to work diligently to ensure New Yorkers are safe and fairly policed,” the statement said.

The incident was “entirely preventable and the video footage should be of concern to all New Yorkers,” the Legal Aid Society said.

“The surveillance and body-worn camera footage released last night, which is unsurprisingly edited and does not show the entire NYPD melee, completely contradicts the police claim that Derell Mickles charged at any of the officers. As the video clearly shows, Mr. Mickles stood still as the NYPD officers fired their weapons at him,” the nonprofit legal group said in a statement.

When officers fired at a train full of people, not a single shot had to be fired, said New York City Ombudsman Jumaane Williams.

“I can only imagine what our collective horror would be in a wealthier, whiter population, and call on us to the same outrage and goal – not only to improve our tools and training for de-escalation, but to fundamentally review and change the approach to public safety that has led to preventable violence,” he said in a statement.

If the mayor and New York Police Department officials are willing to intentionally deceive New Yorkers about bodycam footage before it is made public, how can we expect New Yorkers to trust that administration now that the video has been released and the truth has come out, Williams added.