NEW YORK — Officer Wayne Isaacs has been found not guilty in the shooting death of Delwran Small, according to the New York attorney general’s office.
The off-duty NYPD officer allegedly shot Delrawn Small, 37, on July 4, 2016, during a traffic dispute. The two men argued as they drove in separate cars along Atlantic Avenue and both stopped their cars at a red light on Bradford Street, where Small got out of his car.
Isaacs said that Small tried to assault him. Surveillance video shows Small approaching the Isaacs’ car and being shot moments later.
Isaacs was found not guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.
Isaacs, an officer in the NYPD’s 79th Precinct, was stripped of his gun and badge days after the shooting.
NYPD said Isaacs will remain on a non-enforcement duty status, without a service weapon, while the department conducts its own internal investigation.
In wake of the verdict, Small’s family has called on Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill to “immediately fire” Isaacs from the department.
“An officer, who is so trigger-happy that he immediately shoots not once, not twice but three times and kills a civilian simply approaching his car, is a threat to public safety,” Small’s brother and sister said in a statement.
“The fact that Officer Isaacs failed to protect public safety – shooting Delrawn three times and then failing to administer emergency care or even alert 911 to the fact that he shot him, which led to Delrawn bleeding out on the street and dying – is a clear indication that he doesn’t deserve the responsibility of being a police officer. The lawsuits against Isaacs related to misconduct and brutality are just additional evidence of why he is no longer a credible officer of public safety.”
In a statement, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman thanked Small’s family “for their courage and perserverance in the face of tragedy.”
“We are disappointed by the verdict, but we respect the jury’s determination and thank them for their service,” Schneiderman said.
