Ramarley Graham Records Could Reveal More About 2012 Killing

NEW YORK, NY — A judge last week ordered the NYPD to release a trove of records that could give Ramarley Graham's family more answers about his killing. In a July 31 decision, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Manuel Mendez said the NYPD caused an "unreasonable delay" in handing over records to which Graham's family was entitled under the state's Freedom of Information Law.

The order marked another victory for Graham's mother, Constance Malcolm, in her long legal battle with the NYPD over her search for information about her son's Feb. 2, 2012 death and the cops who were responsible.

"It’s been a painful journey to try to get some measure of accountability for my son Ramarley, but I am glad Judge Mendez has ruled in my favor and that he saw through the NYPD's lies," Malcolm said in a statement Wednesday.

Malcolm and Graham's father, Franclot Graham, requested a lengthy list of records related to Graham's killing in September 2016. The parents sued after the NYPD withheld most of them, but Mendez ordered many of the records released to Graham's family or to the judge for further review in December 2017.

While he allowed the Police Department to withhold some of the reviewed records, Mendez rejected its arguments for keeping others under wraps and ordered their release within about a month.

"There is a public interest in Ramarley Graham's family obtaining the records to obtain clarity and closure concerning the events of February 2, 2012," Mendez wrote.

Among the dozens of records ordered released are the transcript of the internal disciplinary trial of Richard Haste, the officer who shot Graham in the chest inside a Bronx apartment where he lived. Haste reportedly thought the 18-year-old had a gun, but he was unarmed.

Haste was found guilty in March 2017 of departmental charges that warranted his firing but quit the force before he could be formally fired, according to Mendez's decision. Two other cops who were on the scene, Sgt. Scott Morris and Officer John McLaughlin, reached settlements in their disciplinary cases last year.

The NYPD must also release redacted audio recordings of interviews with cops and witnesses, including two of Graham's friends, Mendez ruled. The judge also assessed attorney fees against the NYPD.

A spokesman for the city Law Department did not immediately comment on the decision.

(Lead image: Ramarley Graham's mother, Constance Malcolm, is pictured in 2012. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)