Patrick Dorismond

Unarmed security guard Patrick Dorismond, 25, was fatally shot by an undercover NYPD detective during a buy-and-bust drug operation in Manhattan in March 2000.

What happened

Patrick Dorismond was standing outside a Manhattan bar near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden on March 16, 2000 when undercover officers conducting a drug buy-and-bust approached him. According to contemporaneous Associated Press reporting, an officer initiated conversation about drugs, which developed into a confrontation. Detective Anthony Vasquez then shot Dorismond in the chest during a struggle. Dorismond was unarmed and no drugs or contraband were found on his body. The police account suggested the gun discharged during the struggle, while witness allegations about how the detective handled his firearm were disputed. His death came soon after other high-profile shootings of unarmed Black New Yorkers and prompted protests over aggressive undercover policing.

Investigation & findings

Early official reports acknowledged that police were investigating how the weapon discharged and that witness accounts differed. Do not treat the initial police description as an independently established account of the trigger pull.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Sources & records