October 23, 2017
Trial Summary: October 23
Day 1 of Criminal Trial of NYPD Officer Wayne Isaacs, who killed Delrawn Small:
Monday, October 23rd was the first day of the criminal trial of Wayne Isaacs, the off-duty NYPD officer, who shot and killed 37-year old Delrawn Small on July 4th, 2016, in Brooklyn, NY.
This is the 1st case being prosecuted under the special prosecutor executive order that was won in July 2015 - authorizing the NYS Attorney General’s office to act as special prosecutor in cases where police kill civilians. Delrawn Small’s family, as well as many community members, turned out to the Brooklyn Supreme Court today to demand accountability.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Alexander Jeong presided over the trial. Officer Isaacs has been charged with murder in the second degree, and manslaughter in the first degree.
Assistant Attorney General Jose Nieves, speaking for the Attorney General’s office that is prosecuting the case against Wayne Isaacs, stated that the evidence would demonstrate that Officer Isaacs “shot and killed Delrawn Small with no legal justification.” He stated that Isaacs offered "no help" to Delrawn Small as he lay dying in the street after Isaacs shot him.. Nieves concluded opening statements by asking jurors to hold Isaacs “accountable” and to find him guilty for murder in the second degree.
Officer Isaacs is being represented by attorneys Stephen Worth and Michael Martinez, from Worth, Longworth & London (a firm that has represented many officers who have been accused of unjustified killings and brutality). In his opening statement, Mr. Worth made the ludicrous claim that Mr. Isaacs did “what any reasonable person would do”.
There were 4 witnesses heard today. The first witness was Detective Rachel Crawford, who was the lead detective of the Crime Scene Unit for this case. Detective Crawford testified to the location of Delrawn’s body, the condition of it once she had arrived on scene, and to the fact that Delrawn Small was unarmed. She also testified to finding multiple bullet casings in Officer Isaacs vehicle.
Sergeant Armando Colon also testified. He was attested to the fact that Isaac’s ended his shift at 11:35pm and left the station in civilian clothes.
The third witness to testify was Catherine Renta, a NYC paramedic who attended to Delrawn Small after he was shot by Officer Isaacs. During her testimony, evidence was presented that included a black and white photo of Mr. Small with at least one visible bullet wound and a pool of blood. She testified that at this point, she proceeded to provide patient care including CPR. The graphic photo was understandably upsetting to the members of Delrawn Small’s family in the audience.
The final witness was Officer Corzo of the Crime Analysis Unit. She was one of several responding officers at the scene. Officer Corzo described her encounter the evening of the shooting with Zaquanna Alberts, Mr, Small’s girlfriend. Corzo testified that she walked Alberts away from Mr. Small’s body and back to their vehicle, where her teenage daughter and infant son were. She then drove the family to the precinct.
The next trial date will be Wednesday, October 25th, with court proceedings set to begin at 10am. The trial is expected to last until November 15th – at Brooklyn Supreme Court, 320 Jay Street, Brooklyn.
NOTE: Trial will not be in session on Tuesdays or on November 7th or 10th.
For more information & updates on the trial, please go to: http://bit.ly/DelrawnSmallTrial.
If you would like to help pack the court to support Delrawn Small’s family, please sign up with the following link: http://bit.ly/2xDBYoa.
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