Shem Walker

Unarmed Army veteran Shem Walker was fatally shot by an undercover NYPD officer on his family's Brooklyn stoop in July 2009.

What happened

On July 11, 2009, Shem Walker encountered a plainclothes NYPD detective sitting on the stoop outside his mother's Brooklyn building during an undercover anti-drug operation. Walker believed the man was a drug dealer and tried to remove him from the property. The detective did not initially identify himself as police, according to testimony presented to an international inquiry. Their confrontation escalated, and the detective drew a weapon and fired, killing Walker. His family argued that police had created the dangerous situation by conducting an unidentified undercover operation on a family's doorstep and demanded accountability.

Investigation & findings

No criminal indictment was issued. New York City paid approximately $2.25 million to settle the family's wrongful-death claims. The inquiry documents testimony from the family and its counsel, which should remain attributed as such.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Sources & records