New York Cop Charged With Murder For The Death Of Deborah Danner

May 31

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Deborah Danner

Deborah Danner was a 66-year old senior citizen with schizophrenia.  On October 18, 2016, Deborah was in her Bronx apartment when a neighbor called the police and reported that Deborah was screaming. New York City Police Sergeant Hugh Barry arrived on the scene.

Initially, the police said that Sergeant Barry persuaded Ms. Danner to drop a pair of scissors, but that she picked up a bat and tried to swing at him. Several other officers were at the scene, in the building at 630 Pugsley Avenue, but only Sergeant Barry was in the bedroom with Ms. Danner.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said Sergeant Barry failed to follow police protocol for dealing with people with mental illness. Specifically, he did not use his stun gun to try to subdue Ms. Danner, and he did not wait for a specialized Emergency Service Unit to arrive.

Hugh Barry

Today, May 31, 2017, Sergeant Barry, appeared in court in the Bronx before Judge Robert A. Neary.  He was charged with murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.  He posted a $50K cash bail after entering a please of not guilty to all counts.

Wallace Cooke, 74-years old, is a retiree of the New York Police Department.  He is also Deborah Danner’s cousin.  Cooke told the New York Daily News;

“Debbie had no reason to die, and the cop had no reason to shoot her. He intended to kill her, no doubt. When you shoot somebody twice in her own bedroom? All he had to do was close the damn door and walk out.”

Barry has been placed on suspended duty pending the results of trial.  His next court date is July 7, 2017.

 

Posted on 05/31/2017, in Cases, Deborah Danner and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 21 Comments.

  2. yahtzeebutterfly | 05/31/2017 at 6:55 pm

    Thanks for this informative update, Xena.

    So tragic and heartbreaking.

    • Xena | 05/31/2017 at 7:57 pm

      Yahtzee,
      You are welcomed. I hope it doesn’t take 2 years to bring this to trial.

      • yahtzeebutterfly | 06/02/2017 at 4:33 pm

        I hope activists continue to keep the public informed of her name and her tragic death.

  3. yahtzeebutterfly | 05/31/2017 at 7:17 pm

    Ms. Deborah Danner wrote about her schizophrenia in a 6 page informative essay:
    https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3146953/Living-With-Schizophrenia-by-Deborah-Danner.pdf

    Would that she had been treated with dignity and a course of deescalation with the calling in of a mental health specialist.

  4. Mama Cass | 05/31/2017 at 7:59 pm

    So much work to be done in training police with mental health issues. Reblogged on https://aspentreesbookreviews.wordpress.com/

  5. CarolMaeWY | 05/31/2017 at 10:27 pm

    So sad I don’t know what to say. Except how very sorry I am.

  6. Deborah the Closet Monster | 06/01/2017 at 1:14 pm

    The last post I read was a passionate entreaty to “say her name” instead of simply referring to Deborah Danner as “a mentally ill woman.” I got something in my eye, then, seeing your title the very next post down. Thank you. ❤️

  7. yahtzeebutterfly | 06/02/2017 at 4:50 pm

    Off Topic, but important update:

  8. yahtzeebutterfly | 06/03/2017 at 6:01 pm

    An earlier (April 3) informative tweet by Stephan Keegan:

  9. Jay S Parks | 06/19/2017 at 1:13 am

    Kill first. Ask questions whenever.

  10. Xena | 12/01/2017 at 8:26 pm

    Update:
    Hugh Barry, the NYPD sergeant who fatally shot a 66-year-old woman in the Bronx in 2016, has opted for a bench trial. Trial is scheduled to begin on January 30, 2018.

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