Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin, 38. at left, with his two sons. (Facebook)
Edson Thevenin, 38. at left, with his two sons. (Facebook)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Edson Thevenin's mother, Gertha Depas, left, and his wife, Cinthia Thevenin, speak to the media about the investigation into his fatal shooting by Troy police on April 17, 2016. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove listens to a question from a member of the media during a press conference on Monday, April 18, 2016, in Troy N.Y. The press event was held by officials to talk about the police shooting that took place early Sunday morning. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)
lessRensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove listens to a question from a member of the media during a press conference on Monday, April 18, 2016, in Troy N.Y. The press event was held by officials to talk
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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman speaks at a press conference announcing new guidelines and testing standards that GNC will adhere to for their herbal supplements and extracts on March 30, 2015 in New York City. After testing hermal supplements and extracts from various retailers last year and finding false ingredients in their products, the attorney general's office subpoenaed GNC and other providers to further investigate their products. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 545626387
lessNEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman speaks at a press conference announcing new guidelines and testing standards that GNC will adhere to for their herbal supplements and
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Gertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the Empire Christian Center in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
lessGertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the
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Gertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the Empire Christian Center in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
lessGertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the
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Gertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the Empire Christian Center in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
lessGertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the
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Gertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the Empire Christian Center in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
lessGertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the
... more
Gertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the Empire Christian Center in Albany, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)
lessGertha DePas, mother of Edson Thevenin who was shot by Troy Police Sgt. French, left is joined by her daughter in law Cinthia Thevenin as they spoke to the media during a press conference April 28, 2016 at the
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Wife: Police initially claimed Edson Thenevin died in a car crash
Albany
The wife and mother of Edson Thevenin said Friday they want the state attorney general to investigate the events that resulted in his fatal shooting by a Troy police sergeant.
"We want to know what happened that night," Cinthia Thevenin said of her husband's death on April 17.
The answers and justice they want for their family will only come with a full accounting from a full unbiased state investigation, Thevenin and Gertha Depas said.
"We came here to speak up for Edson. We want to clear his name," Thevenin said at news conference held at the Empire Christian Center at 205 Washington Ave. Extension.
"Why was his life taken?" Depas asked about her son's death. She said they are "fighting for justice" for his two children.
The two women said they only learned of the Rensselaer County grand jury clearing Sgt. Randy French after it handed up its no bill last week. No one in the family was asked to testify or was told the grand jury was meeting, they said.
The grand jury report coming five days after Thevenin was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Hoosick Street in Troy stunned his wife and mother.
"They rushed it. They rushed to sweep everything under the rug," Thevenin said.
The last Rensselaer County grand jury report on a fatal shooting involving Troy police came in November. That was more than two months after Officers Joshua Comitale and Chad Klein were seriously injured and car-jacking suspect Thaddeus Faison was killed in the Aug. 22. shootout in Lansingburgh.
The women said the grand jury's quick report after the Thevenin's fatal shooting concerned them in light of how they have never received a complete accounting of what led to their loved one's death.
"The detective said my husband died in a car accident," Thevenin said.
She said police came to her door on the day of the shooting, and initially asked her if her car had been stolen, making no mention of what happened to her husband.
Since then, police have not returned any calls from family members or spoken to them. The family also has not been able to claim Thevenin's personal belongings, including his wedding ring.
The 37-year-old Watervliet man died after a sequence of events that began when police said he fled a traffic stop on Sixth Avenue, between Hutton and Hoosick streets, around 3:30 a.m. Thevenin tried to make a U-turn on the Collar City Bridge, then crashed into a barrier. As police blocked off avenues of escape for Thevenin, he backed his car toward the police sergeant, pushing French against his cruiser. Police said French fired eight shots from his service weapon, killing Thevenin.
Pastor Tre' Staton of Empire Christian Center said he saw Thevenin's body and he was shot four times in the head and hit four more times. He also asked why the grand jury heard the case without the toxicology results being back from the autopsy.
Cinthia Thevenin said the silence has left them confused about the case and with questions that they hope Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will answer in his investigation of the shooting.
Schneiderman has sued Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove to overturn the county grand jury report and to assume control of the investigation. Scheiderman claims Abelove violated Executive Order 147, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued last year following several high-profile deaths in police-civilian encounters across the country.
Abelove spokesman Jonathan Desso said the district attorney has no comment on the pending legal matter.
Thevenin and Depas said they have not retained an attorney, but are considering doing so.
kcrowe@timesunion.com • 518-454-5084
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Family-of-man-shot-killed-by-Troy-police-to-hold-7383333.php
