Danroy Henry

Danroy 'D.J.' Henry Jr., a 20-year-old Pace University football player, was shot through his windshield by a police officer after a homecoming celebration in October 2010.

What happened

On October 17, 2010, Danroy Henry was behind the wheel of a car near a bar in Thornwood, New York after a Pace University homecoming event. Pleasantville officer Aaron Hess encountered his vehicle during a response to a disturbance. Hess said Henry drove toward him, hitting him and forcing him to fire; other eyewitnesses and Henry's family challenged whether Henry was simply moving out of a fire lane as directed. Witness accounts also raised questions about how paramedics responded after Henry was pulled from the car while wounded and handcuffed. His family pursued civil-rights litigation and founded a youth-focused charitable initiative in his memory.

Investigation & findings

No criminal charge was brought against Hess. In 2016 Henry's family reached a $6 million civil settlement with the officer and the village of Pleasantville. The settlement did not establish a criminal conviction and the family continued to question the encounter and emergency response.

What happened

Investigation & findings

Sources & records