On October 29, 1984, Eleanor Bumpers, a 66-year-old African American woman, was shot and killed in her Bronx apartment during an eviction. The New York City Police Department was present to enforce the city-ordered eviction from her public housing unit. Prior to the arrival of the police, Ms. Bumpers, who had a history of mental health problems and was physically disabled, had resisted the eviction efforts of housing authority workers, allegedly threatening them with a knife and boiling lye.
When officers from the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit arrived, they were unable to persuade Ms. Bumpers to open her door. After drilling out the lock, they saw her inside, naked and holding a 10-inch kitchen knife. The officers then broke down the door and attempted to subdue her using plastic shields and a restraining bar, but she fought them off. At this point, Officer Stephen Sullivan fired a 12-gauge shotgun twice. The first shot struck Ms. Bumpers' hand, and the second hit her in the chest, causing her death.
The death of Eleanor Bumpers sparked outrage and protests across New York City, highlighting issues of police brutality, race relations, and the treatment of the mentally ill. Officer Stephen Sullivan, who was white, was subsequently indicted by a grand jury on charges of second-degree manslaughter in January 1985. The indictment was initially dismissed by a state Supreme Court judge but was later reinstated upon appeal.
Officer Sullivan opted for a bench trial, and on February 26, 1987, he was acquitted of all charges. The judge ruled that prosecutors had not proven that Sullivan's actions constituted gross negligence. His fellow officers testified that Ms. Bumpers still posed a threat after the first shot. Following the acquittal, federal prosecutors declined to investigate the case for civil rights violations. The Bumpers family filed a civil lawsuit against the city and in 1990, settled for $200,000. Two social services supervisors were also demoted for their handling of Ms. Bumpers' case prior to the eviction.
