On the night of October 17, 2010, a 20-year-old Black Pace University football player named Danroy 'DJ' Henry Jr. was shot and killed by a white Pleasantville police officer, Aaron Hess. The fatal encounter took place outside a bar in Thornwood, New York, following a disturbance to which police had responded. Henry, from Easton, Massachusetts, was in his car with friends, waiting for others to emerge from the establishment.
Accounts of what transpired in the moments leading up to the
shooting vary significantly. Police reported that Henry was parked in a fire lane and that when an officer knocked on his car window, he sped away, striking Officer Hess. This, they claimed, propelled Hess onto the hood of the vehicle, at which point he fired through the windshield. However, witnesses, including friends in the car with Henry, maintained that they were in the process of moving the car at the direction of another officer when Hess suddenly stepped in front of the vehicle, jumped onto the hood, and opened fire. One of Henry's friends in the car, Brandon Cox, was also shot and wounded.
In the immediate aftermath, there were conflicting reports and allegations. An autopsy revealed that Henry had a blood-alcohol level of 0.13, above the legal driving limit of 0.08 in New York. Henry's family and their attorney argued that this was irrelevant to the justification for the shooting. Questions were also raised about the medical attention Henry received at the scene, with some alleging that he was neglected for a period of time after being shot and handcuffed. Four of Henry's teammates were arrested at the scene when they tried to provide first aid, though a judge later dropped all charges against them.
In February 2011, a Westchester County grand jury declined to indict Officer Hess, finding no reasonable cause to do so. Hess maintained that he acted in accordance with his training because he believed his life was in danger. The police union later named him 'Officer of the Year,' a move they stated was intended to be private to boost his morale. The Henry family filed a civil lawsuit against Hess and the municipalities involved. Adding another layer to the case, another officer at the scene, Mount Pleasant Officer Ronald Beckley, later stated in a deposition that he believed Hess was the aggressor and had fired his own weapon at Hess to stop what he perceived as an attack on Henry.
Years later, the case continued to draw attention. In 2021, the Westchester County District Attorney's office announced a new, independent investigation into the shooting. The review was intended to examine the circumstances of Henry's death and the way the initial investigation was handled.
