Stony Brook University: Professor's Police Comments 'Incendiary,' 'Inappropriate'

STONY BROOK, NY — Stony Brook University officials decried a professor's comments on social media about Suffolk police officers injured during a deadly confrontation in Medford last week, saying she used incendiary and inappropriate language in a message to the community Wednesday.

Professor Anna Hayward faced backlash from the county's Police Benevolent Association earlier this week over her comments on a Stony Brook Medicine Instagram post about the officers. She questioned whether the officers could have de-escalated the confrontation with Enrique Lopez, who stabbed two of the officers before he was shot dead, The New York Post reported.

Officers responded to Lopez's home Dec. 28 after police said he threatened roommates with a fire extinguisher. When they arrived, he stabbed them, leaving one very seriously injured, police said.

In her comments using the handle "hayanna72," Hayward, who teaches social welfare, wrote: “This was a wellness check — why didn’t they de-escalate the situation?”

“Why did a man have to die? What about the man they murdered?” Hayward wrote, according to the outlet.

The PBA's leadership called her comments anti-police and callous, and accused her of slander for using the legal term of murder in posts to social media.

"Stony Brook University Medical Center's outstanding care performed a miracle in saving these Police Officers’ lives," a Facebook post read. "It's shameful that Dr. Hayward would sully the reputation of the entire Stony Brook community with her anti-police rhetoric.

Hayward's account is no longer publicly viewable. Patch has reached out to her for comment.

In their message, Dr. Harold Paz, executive vice president for Health Sciences and CEO of Stony Brook University Medicine, and Carl Lejuez, executive vice president and provost, noted how all members of the university community have the right to free speech rights, but "faculty members exercising those rights do not speak on behalf of the university."

The two continue to reiterate a previous statement to media that Hayward's remarks "do not represent the views of Stony Brook University."

"Stony Brook University will continue its efforts to drive positive change in police encounters in our communities," the message read. "However, the incendiary language used by this faculty member was inappropriate and does not correspond to the reported facts of the incident."

It was not immediately clear if Hayward, who teaches social welfare, is tenured or whether she faces any discipline from the university. Patch has reached out the university for additional comment.

Lopez, a 56-year-old Medford resident who spent two years in jail for a 2011 arrest for assaulting an officer, stabbed two officers and was shot dead in a struggle at an apartment on Birchwood Road, police said.

The officers were responding to a 911 call about a fight reported by a caseworker who was checking on two apartment residents, and one was violent toward the other, Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said.

Lopez was irrational and threatening "residential patients" with a fire extinguisher, adding that the officers walked up a flight of stairs to approach him inside a room, and when they asked how he was feeling, he pulled out a "Rambo-style knife" and lunged at them as they "repeatedly" asked him to drop the knife, Harrison said.

Lopez stabbed one officer in the clavicle, neck, and groin, and the other in the chest, Harrison said. The knife struck a rib on the second officer.

The 26-year-old officer who was seriously injured in the struggle was placed on a ventilator, and the second was released from the hospital last week, according to police. A third officer was treated for tinnitus and released from the hospital, police said.

Paz and Lejuez ended the message by wishing the officers a speedy recovery, adding that they "are grateful to them and to the professionals at Stony Brook University Hospital who treated them."

University officials were not the only ones who criticized Hayward.

Republican state Sens. Dean Murray and Anthony Palumbo on Thursday described Hayward's comments as "anti-police rhetoric."

Murray, of East Patchogue, said he believes it is "extremely irresponsible and offensive" that Hayward "is trying to turn this situation around as to insinuate it was the police officers who did something wrong."

He further criticized her as an employee of a state, taxpayer-funded university, adding, "she should not be using her position of authority to spread her dangerous, anti-police rhetoric to her students."

"The classroom is no place for her personal, misguided agenda and verbal attacks on our law enforcement officials," he said. "Stony Brook University needs to review Professor Hayward’s conduct both in the classroom and on campus to ensure that the students are receiving an education and not an indoctrination."

Palumbo, of East Suffolk, said he is "dismayed that this dangerous, anti-police rhetoric is coming from a state university professor."

“The radical and out-of-touch thinking behind this social media post is the type of irresponsible language that puts our men and women in uniform in greater danger and makes our entire community less safe," he added.

Palumbo said his primary concern was for the injured police officers.

"My thoughts are with them, their families., and their colleagues as we are all praying for their full and speedy recovery,” he said. “However, I am also concerned that Professor Hayward is using her platform at the college to promote anti-law enforcement rhetoric. Our public tax dollars shouldn’t be used to fuel hate speech against any group of New Yorkers — especially our men and women in uniform.”

State Attorney General Leticia James office said Monday that the Office of Special Investigations is probing the shooting, Newsday reported.

James' Office of Special Investigation is powered by state law to examine the circumstances surrounding a person's death when law-enforcement is involved. In the examination, investigators will review if the officers could have caused the death by act or omission.

Suffolk police declined to comment.