Police Brutality / Individual record
Denzel Brown
Denzel Brown, 21, was shot and killed by Suffolk County police in Bay Shore, New York on March 22, 2015 after an allegation that he stole headphones from a Best Buy.
- Record ID
- PB-132
- Incident date
- March 22, 2015
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Islip, NY
- Agency
- Suffolk County Police Department
- Category
- Fatal on-duty police shooting
- Age (reported)
- 21
What happened
Police responded to a reported theft of two pairs of headphones at a Best Buy in Islip. A witness directed an officer toward Denzel Brown, who fled. Police pursued Brown through a parking lot and onto nearby roads, attempting to use a Taser. Police said Brown attempted to enter several vehicles and eventually got into a running car with two children in the back seat. An officer fired at Brown, opened the car door and struggled with him; during the encounter the officer fired another shot. Brown died during surgery at Southside Hospital. Initial news accounts were based on police statements, and the existence of a shoplifting allegation must not obscure that the police response ended a young man's life. Further inquiry is warranted into the timing of the two gunshots and the decisions made during the foot pursuit.
Investigation & findings
Suffolk County police announced a homicide-squad investigation. No final criminal or civil disposition independently verified in this pass.
Washington Post Fatal Force v2; 2015–2024
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- 234
- Race code in source
- B
- Race source method
- not_available
- Gender (source)
- male
- Armed status (source)
- undetermined
- Flee status (source)
- car
- Agency IDs (source)
- 421
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Additional source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Fatal Force v2 — fatal on-duty police shootings, 2015–2024The Washington Post · Dataset
- Fatal Force methodology and data limitationsThe Washington Post · Methodology