No Charges For Cop Who Fatally Struck, Dragged NYC Panhandler: AG

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — An NYPD officer who fatally struck Ronald Anthony Smith in Crown Heights won't face charges in the panhandler's 2022 death, said New York's Attorney General's officials.

A 128-page report released Monday found the cop was speeding when he struck Smith, but ultimately that prosecutors wouldn't be able to prove a crime if he was criminally charged.

The cop had driven into a painted median at Schenectady Avenue and Eastern Parkway to avoid a crash with an SUV that swerved into his way April 7, 2022, officials found. His van then struck and dragged Smith, authorities said.

The decision prompted outrage from Smith's family, who held a news conference Monday.

"They need to fire these cops," said Smith's sister Julie Floyd. "Through their own negligence, they killed my brother."

Attorney General's officials, however, determined some reported instances of negligence didn't occur.

Body-worn camera footage previously released by the Attorney General's office seemingly showed one of the officers watching a video of a soccer player on a field, but investigators determined this was just the officer's screen saver.

"He was neither watching a live game nor texting or talking on the phone while driving prior to the collision," the Attorney General's office said.

The officer was transporting detainees to Brooklyn Central Booking, according to the Attorney General.

The NYPD and Civilian Complaint Review Board are also investigating the crash, but Loyda Colon, Executive Director of Justice Committee, said she doesn't expect much from an NYPD review.

"What we're seeing repeatedly is that this city does not want to hold NYPD accountable when they murder civilians," Colon said. "As we've seen in these cases, we don't expect much from the NYPD here but we are hoping that the CCRB substantiates charges."

Smith's family and advocates took issue with a number of details in the Attorney General's report.

As the Attorney General's Office found, the officers had not sufficiently secured the detainees in the van they were driving to Brooklyn Central Booking.

The family also said the officers rendered insufficient aid to Smith after the crash.

Floyd and Colon said one officer performed CPR with one hand, while holding his cellphone in the other, and the other officer just looked on.

"We need some accountability here. The idea that another New Yorker died at the hands of the NYPD is just flatly unacceptable," said the family's lawyer, David Rankin. "This recklessness cost a man his life."

Across the board, Smith's family has been treated with neglect, Colon said.

Smith frequently pan-handled at spot he was hit, according to the New York Daily News. But Smith's family on Monday took issue with how easily that fact has allowed people to disregard his life.

"Homeless man killed by cops. That was it. Never another word. Do you know how shocking that it is to wake up and see that knowing that's your brother?" Floyd said, according to CBS News.

"The treatment that Ronald Anthony Smith's family received form the State Attorney General's Office was cruel. It was cruel and unnecessary," said Colon. "This family should've been treated better."

"They are not sorry for my loss, and they do not understand," Floyd added.