Police Brutality / Individual record
Malcolm Ferguson
Unarmed Malcolm Ferguson was shot and killed by an NYPD plainclothes officer in a Bronx public-housing stairwell on March 1, 2000.
- Record ID
- PB-019
- Date of death
- March 1, 2000
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Bronx, NY
- Category
- Police shooting
What happened
On March 1, 2000, NYPD officers conducting a narcotics operation encountered Malcolm Ferguson in the hallway of a Bronx public-housing building. Ferguson ran upstairs. Officer Louis Rivera pursued him, and an encounter occurred on a second-floor landing. Police said Rivera's pistol discharged in a struggle; Ferguson's family challenged the account and alleged unjustified use of force. Ferguson's mother, Juanita Young, became an outspoken advocate against police brutality. The fatal shot, the officers' response and the disputed police explanation were scrutinized in subsequent civil litigation.
Investigation & findings
Rivera was not criminally indicted. In a 2007 civil trial, a jury found Rivera responsible for Ferguson's death and awarded his family approximately $10.45 million. A civil judgment should be distinguished from a criminal conviction.
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- Historical source-derived record, pre-2015
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Additional source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Published historical compilation of Black people killed in police custody (1999–2014)SAGE journal / cited NAACP LDF memorial listing · 2016 · Secondary scholarly source