Days following the death of a knife-wielding man who was shot by authorities in his Brooklyn home, debates over police use of force have arisen.
Dwayne Jeune, 32, died on July 31 when his mother called police to his East Flatbush apartment during an apparent psychiatric episode caused by his ongoing mental health struggles. When officers arrived, they attempted to subdue him with a Taser, but their efforts had been ineffective until they finally fired shots at Jeune, who was waving a long serrated blade.
However, not everyone accepted that story. During a vigil Saturday night at the building where the scene unfolded, Jeune’s cousin, Charlyn Thomas, 32, called his death the result of the actions of an “overzealous” officer.
Thomas claimed there was no need for the killing of her cousin, stating, “They [the police] were not in imminent danger. There was no struggle, there was no tussle, there was no fight,” DNAinfo reported. A video released on Twitter shows her reading the statement last weekend.
While Thomas has demanded an investigation into Jeune’s death, it remains unclear whether she was present during the time of the shooting.
