[Police Killing of Kamal Flowers]
Bowman: “I want to join the community of New Rochelle in calling on Governor Cuomo to authorize an independent investigation into the death of Kamal Flowers…Police departments should not be investigating themselves.”
Photo: YouTube
Kamal Flowers, a 24-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by police in New Rochelle on June 5.
New York State Police are currently overseeing the investigation, but in light of numerous inconsistencies in the police’s explanation of events, many members of the community have called for an independent investigation.
Jamaal Bowman, the Democratic nominee and likely next member of Congress in NY-16, representing New Rochelle, has sent a letter to Governor Cuomo and released the following statement calling on him to authorize an independent investigation by Attorney General Tish James into the death of Kamal Flowers:
“I want to join the community of New Rochelle in calling on Governor Cuomo to authorize an independent investigation into the death of Kamal Flowers, who was shot and killed at the hands of police.
“Police departments should not be investigating themselves, which is exactly why under the ‘Say Their Name’ police reform laws signed in June — just one week after Flowers was shot and killed — the Attorney General will automatically be the independent prosecutor in cases like this. That law goes into effect next April, but I do not believe the fact that Flowers was killed in June of 2020, rather than June 2021, should deprive his family of justice.
“We owe it to this community, and to a 24-year-old Black man with young children who will now grow up without a father, to honor the spirit of the law and begin an impartial investigation immediately. Regardless of the new law, the Governor already has the authority to direct the Attorney General to investigate, and I’m calling on him to use that authority.
“There are too many inconsistencies and questions in this case to be confident in the official account of events released by the police. First, they said that Flowers tried to fire a gun. Then later, their story changed to say he merely displayed a gun. First, they said that there was a struggle between Flowers and the officer who shot him. Then they released an updated statement with no mention of a struggle at all. First, they said Flowers was shot once, when he was actually shot twice. There have also been questions about whether racism played a role in Flowers’ vehicle being pulled over in the first place.
“This community deserves answers. That’s why today I have sent a letter to Governor Cuomo asking him to direct the Attorney General to open an investigation.”
