The parents of Danroy Henry, the 20-year-old Pace University student who was shot and killed by police after hitting a cop with his car amidst a chaotic Westchester night, are planning to sue the suburban towns whose officers were involved in the death. The parents filed a notice of claim, required before suing, against both the town of Mount Pleasant and the village of Pleasantville yesterday for the wrongful death of their son. And they're suing for $120 million.
According to the Post, the notice of claim alleges that the municipalities were negligent in hiring and training officers, and the officers were negligent in their use of deadly force. After Henry was shot by police, eye witnesses said that he was handcuffed and left on the road for up to 15 minutes without medical attention while medical teams treated a less seriously injured officer at the scene. Later, the lawyer for six other Pace students accused the police of brutality, excessive force and wrongful arrest after several of her clients were Tased for trying to aid Henry as he lay dying. Police meanwhile say that Henry was legally drunk at the time of the shooting.
Amateur video of the aftermath of the shooting reveals “absolute mayhem,” according to Henry family lawyer Michael Sussman. He believe there was “an obvious lack of supervision...that relates to a lack of training.” He says the $120 million figure in the notice of claim reflects “the family’s valuation to the extent they can give any monetary valuation” of their son’s worth.
