Pace University students pause to remember school athlete shot by Pleasantville officer 10 years ago

Saturday marks 10 years since Pace University football player Danroy "DJ" Henry was fatally shot by a Pleasantville police officer outside a Thornwood bar.

News 12 Staff

Oct 17, 2020, 9:24 PM

Updated 1,296 days ago

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Saturday marks 10 years since Pace University football player Danroy "DJ" Henry was fatally shot by a Pleasantville police officer outside a Thornwood bar.
Accounts of that night vary, but the 20-year-old student-athlete was outside the bar, sitting in his car, when police responded to reports of a fight.
Police say that when they asked Henry to move his car out of a fire zone, he sped away, hitting officer Aaron Hess in the process.
Hess ended up on the hood of the car and fired his gun at the windshield. However, surveillance video appears to show Henry's car slowing down, before some witnesses say Hess jumped on the hood.
Another police officer testified that Hess was, in fact, the aggressor in the encounter.
The case went to a grand jury, but Hess was never charged.
Just this year, amid protests for racial equality, celebrities like Jay-Z and Rihanna called to reopen the case. In June, however, the Westchester District Attorney's Office said, "The case could only be reopened if new evidence is discovered. At this time, there are no plans by this office to reopen the case."
Now Pace students who were in elementary and middle school at the time of Henry's death are honoring his memory.
"When we think about DJ Henry and we think about what he means to me personally, I think about how I can be a better person, how I can do more on campus. How I can change more," says student Stephanie Nazario.
And while the tensions between police and people of color have continued over the last decade, some students say they have hope for the future.
"I'm super proud of our generation and I just hope that we continue that as we get older. I hope this isn't just a trend," says Annabel Keppel-Palmer.
The students continue to tell Henry's story and plan to continue their work with an annual "Social Justice Week," which will start on Oct. 26.


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