Body cam video shows moments leading up to police-involved shooting in New Rochelle

The shooting happened along Lincoln Avenue near North Avenue. Investigators say they got a call about a possible theft at a store around 4:30 p.m. Monday.

News 12 Staff

Jul 5, 2023, 10:56 AM

Updated 519 days ago

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Authorities have released body cam video showing the moments leading to a police-involved shooting in New Rochelle.
New Rochelle police released the body cam shows video from three different officers, as well as still pictures.
The shooting happened along Lincoln Avenue near North Avenue. Investigators say they got a call about a possible theft at a store around 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Officers say they found a man who fit the caller's description walking on Lincoln Avenue, not far from the store.
Family members have identified that man as Jarrell Garris, of New Rochelle.
In the video as Garris continues to walk away, one officer is heard saying someone from the store wants to press charges. Then a struggle begins.
An officer can be seen pulling out a Taser. But before she could shoot, police say Garris grabbed at one officers’ gun and tried to pull it out of the holster.
The video stops before the shot is fired.
Police say the man tried to grab at one of the officer's guns and pull it from the holster and that's when officers shot him.
Relatives claim Garris suffers from schizophrenia and that New Rochelle police are aware and have even conducted wellness checks.
According to state police, Garris remains in critical condition at Westchester Medical Center.
"I think when you do that you reduce speculation in the community, I think that's the first step towards trying to get it right and also making sure there is not a gulf between the community and the police department," says Mayo Bartlett, a civil rights and criminal defense attorney who serves on the Police Reform Task Force created in Westchester County.
Back in June 2020, Kamal Flowers was fatally shot by New Rochelle police. The department took four days to release six videos from private businesses.
Bartlett is praising the quick release of body cam footage in this instance but questions why police stopped the video before shots were fired.
"I think it would be important to release all of that body camera footage," he says.
Bartlett says this incident also creates a dialogue on how much mental health and de-escalation training police are receiving, and that it raises the question on what type of situations warrant police involvement, especially when the call relates to issues such as food insecurity.
"I think it's a case-by-case circumstance, but I think it's something that we as society need to start to look at," he says.