5 Mount Vernon Officers Suspended After Inmate Shot In Back Of Police Van

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The fallout continues from a disturbing incident in which an inmate in custody was shot in Mount Vernon.

The Mount Vernon Police Department announced on Thursday that five department members have been suspended after an investigation of the in-custody shooting of an inmate who was in the back of a prisoner transport van.

During a press conference last week, Chief Marcel J. Olafiers said that the in-custody shooting took place around 7:40 p.m. on Oct. 16, near West Lincoln Avenue and Oak Street.

Two MVPD police officers, now identified as Omar Bryce and Sonjea Collins, had been escorting five prisoners from the Mount Vernon Police Department to the Westchester County Jail, when the two officers reported hearing a single gunshot from the back of the van, and then a prisoner telling them that he had been shot.

SEE ALSO: Inmate In MVPD Police Van Wounded By Gunshot On The Way To Westchester County Jail

The officers immediately returned to the Mount Vernon Police Department cell block, where the prisoners were secured. One of the prisoners had what Chief Olafiers described as a "non-life threatening gunshot wound to his lower leg." The wounded prisoner was taken to an area hospital. As he is a victim in this incident, police will not be releasing any further information about his identity, according to the department.

A 22-caliber Rohm-RGT revolver was recovered from one of the prisoners, 32-year-old Louis Soto, of the Bronx, police said. According to Chief Olafiers, the weapon had one spent round and four live rounds remaining. The gun had not been reported stolen and a full firearm trace is underway, investigators said.

While Soto has no significant prior criminal history, he was remanded to the Westchester County Jail on a forcible touching charge stemming from an arrest on October 15, according to Chief Olafiers. Soto will now face additional charges, including second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, first-degree assault, and reckless endangerment.

The police chief said last week that the department has been conducting a full review of the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including "relevant policies, procedures and training." Their preliminary findings indicated that the firearm should have been detected prior to the transport.

Effective immediately, the chief said last week, the department's use of the handheld wand magnetometer is now mandatory for all new prisoner processings. Its usage was optional before. In addition, a handheld wand magnetometer will be used on prisoners, both when entering and leaving the cell block to ensure the safety of officers and detainees.

While a 2022 policy update limited the broad use of strip searches, the department says that a properly conducted frisk or authorized strip search should have found the weapon. The failure to do so has resulted in disciplinary action by the Mount Vernon Police Department.

The chief said last week that some of the officers involved had been temporarily assigned to desk duty pending completion of the investigation. At least some of those officers have now been suspended.

After consulting with legal counsel, five department members directly involved in Soto's arrest or processing have been suspended without pay for 30 days pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, according to the MVPD. Those officers are Sergeant Joseph Diaz, Police Officer Cody Housen, Police Officer Christian Pacheco, Police Officer Sonjea Collins, and Police Officer Omar Bryce.

MVPD says these suspensions are not final determinations of disciplinary outcomes. The internal investigation is ongoing, and additional findings or disciplinary actions may be forthcoming as the review continues.

In a statement, on the day of the shooting, Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace said her office is assisting in the investigation.

"Separately, the Public and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau within the District Attorney's Office is conducting an independent, holistic review of the incident," Cacace's office said on Oct. 16. "That investigation remains ongoing, and no further details can be released at this time."