New York City police officer Richard Haste, who shot and killed an unarmed Bronx teenager in 2012, resigned after his attorney informed him that the department would fire him, reports the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. The 35-year-old former narcotics officer fatally shot 18-year-old Ramarley Graham. Haste avoided criminal charges for the shooting but a disciplinary trial held in January ruled that he had violated police guidelines when he followed Graham on Feb. 2, 2012 and shot him inside his home.
Constance Malcolm, Graham’s mother, who has become an activist working for police reform since her son’s death, criticized the department for informing Haste of the ruling, sparing him the humiliation of being fired. She said it was another example of the city and mayor prioritizing police over the unarmed victims like her son Ramarley. Haste said he believed that Graham was an armed and dangerous gunman inside the Bronx apartment where he lived when Haste and another officer burst into the home. Graham’s grandmother and brother dispute Haste’s assertion that Graham swore at Haste before running into the bathroom. Haste fired one shot after Graham reached for his waistband, Haste said at the disciplinary trial. Police did not find a weapon.