October 17,
2010,
Pace University football star and student DJ
Henry (DJ) was shot and killed by
Village of
Pleasantville police officer
Aaron Hess. His friends and teammates were brutalized, tasered, beaten by police and then wrongfully charged with false criminal charges for attempting to save DJ's life when they tried to render
CPR and first aid to DJ as he lay in the gutter with 2 bullets in his chest and dying.
There has been no justice for DJ or these students and football teammates who bravely tried to aid their friend DJ to save his life. DJ's family,
Brandon Cox (who was the front seat passenger in DJ's car and who was also shot), and the students who were brutalized and falsely arrested have all filed Civil lawsuits to force justice for DJ.
During the deposition of
Mt. Pleasant police officer
Ronald Beckley, he revealed that as he arrived at the Thornwood
Shopping Center on October 17, 2010, as he stood in front of his patrol car his attention was drawn to his left.
Beckley testified that he saw defendant Aaron Hess standing in the roadway with his gun drawn. At that time he did not know who Hess was nor could he tell that Hess was a police officer. After officer Beckley heard the first shot, he saw Hess mount DJ Henry's car. While Hess was on the top of the car's hood, he saw Hess with his arm outstretched toward the drivers side, with his gun about 1 foot from the windshield, and then he heard 3 to 4 shots.
Police officer Beckley drew his own weapon and aimed it at Hess' center mass. He did this because he felt that Hess was the aggressor and using unreasonable force by firing into DJ's car. PO Beckley wanted to stop Hess although at that time he did not know Hess was a police officer. Beckley aimed for Hess' center mass, fired once and believed that he had actually shot Hess' knee. After DJ's car had come to a stop, Hess "rolled" off the car. When Beckley approached Hess, he learned for the first time that Hess was a police officer. At that time, officer Hess stated "
I've been shot in the knee", and Beckley believed that he had hit his target when he shot at Hess.
Although, Mt. Pleasant PO Beckley reported these actual facts to his immediate supervisor, Lt.
Brian Fanelli, Fanelli instead prepared a false report of Beckley's statement of the facts.
Instead of the truth, Fanelli wrote that Beckley shot at the vehicle rather than the truth that Beckley perceived Hess as the aggressor and was firing his gun at Hess and not at DJ's car. Fanelli also falsely reported that Beckley was in fear for his own life from DJ Henry's vehicle which Beckley flatly denied under oath.
Most telling, Beckley's
Chief of Police Louis Alagno refused to speak with Beckley who wanted to personally report these facts to him on the morning of the shooting. Instead, that morning,
Chief Algno held a press conference at which he suppressed the truth and gave the false and distorted Fanelli version of Beckley's account; he asserted falsely that PO Beckley feared for his life and had also shot at DJ Henry's car.
It is not until 2 years after the shooting that now at Mt. Pleasant PO Beckley's deposition the truth is exposed.
- published: 09 Jun 2013
- views: 391