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Press Release

Rep. Jeffries Statement on the Decision by Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson to Take the Akai Gurley Case to a Grand Jury

Brooklyn, NY – Today, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) released the following statement on the decision by Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson to take the Akai Gurley case to a grand jury:

“The epidemic of young, unarmed African-American men being killed by police officers without consequence must end. Akai Gurley did not deserve to die, and the evidence of a kill shot that penetrated his chest and struck him in the heart suggests something more than a non-criminal accident.

The decision by the district attorney to take this case to a grand jury is a meaningful step in the right direction. The community will not rest until those responsible for the death of Akai Gurley have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”