Ramarley Graham Update: Cop Who Killed Teen Turns Himself In

Ramarley Graham

NYPD Officer Richard Haste turned himself in today to face first- and- second-degree manslaughter charges for shooting unarmed 18-year-old Ramarley Graham dead in February, the New York Daily News reports.

Haste walked into the Bronx Criminal Court with his lawyer Steward London who addressed reporters outside.

On Feb 2, Haste ran after Graham, after he and other members of a narcotics unit allegedly observed the teen in a drug deal. The officers were allegedly told via radio that Graham was armed. Police claim that the teen ran from them toward his home, but video surveillance shows the teen walking into his grandmother’s Bronx apartment.

NY police officer released on bail in shooting of unarmed teen

A New York City police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a manslaughter charge in the shooting death of an unarmed young man in a Bronx apartment in February.

Richard Haste of the street narcotics enforcement unit entered his plea during an arraignment hearing in New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx. He had surrendered Wednesday morning and was released on bail of $50,000 after his hearing.

Haste was indicted earlier this week for the February 2 shooting death of Ramarley Graham, 18. Several officers who had seen Graham on the street - including Haste - suspected he had a gun because of the suspicious way he moved his hands near his waist, according to a police account of the incident.
Haste and a partner followed Graham to his apartment building and kicked down his apartment door. Haste shot Graham in the chest in a bathroom in the apartment, police said.

"I thought he was going to shoot me so I shot him," Haste said in a statement to investigators that was read aloud by his lawyer, Stuart London, during Wednesday's arraignment. London also said Haste had asked his fellow officers multiple times to confirm reports that Graham had a gun, according to the report.
After the arraignment, a sobbing Francelot Graham, the victim's father, said: "Why did he kill our son?"

 "He did nothing to deserve this," Graham said.