Charlize Theron, Jay-Z and more demand DOJ reopen case of Black student killed by police
The death of an unarmed Black Pace University student at the hands of a white Pleasantville police officer is receiving national attention as his family yearns for the case to be reopened nearly 10 years later.
Twenty-year-old Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., a native of Easton, Mass., was shot and killed by officer Aaron Hess as Henry drove through a parking lot, away from a disturbance that spilled out of Finnegan’s Grill in Thornwood, a New York City suburb, on Oct. 17, 2010.
Hess has said Henry was trying to run him down and that he fired through the windshield to stop the driver. He has never been charged, despite the case going before a grand jury.
The Henrys have said Hess jumped in front of the car, got onto the hood and shot their son for no good reason. Prosecutors said Henry’s car struck the officer and injured him before Hess fired his weapon as he made “a split decision under conditions of extreme danger, conditions under which the law generally allows latitude to a police officer’s judgment.”
The Henrys reached a $6 million settlement with the town and the officer.
But there has been a renewed call for justice in Henry’s death following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, which has sparked nationwide protests.
Now, a group of well-known celebrities have joined that call and are demanding that the case be reopened to bring justice in Henry’s “wrongful death.”
The celebrities sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Monday regarding the current U.S. attorney vacancy in the Southern District of New York, using it as a chance to “reorient the Department of Justice to the case of Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry.” The position was the same office held by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara when he announced in 2015 that Hess would not be charged because the evidence in the shooting failed to establish the “exacting standard of criminal intent” required for criminal charges.
The letter to Barr was sent by Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Pharrell Williams, Charlize Theron, Taraji P. Henson, Odell Beckham Jr., Michael K. Williams, Kerry Washington, Mary J. Blige and Gabrielle Union.
In the letter, the entertainers say Henry “lost his life for no good reason and with absolutely no good explanation.”
“As the Department knows, this agonizing case remains an unhealed wound for the Henry family and the people of New York,” the letter states. “More concerning, even a cursory review of the fact pattern of what occurred distills more questions than answers.”
The celebrities said the facts of the case “reek of local conflict of interest, racial bias and even false testimony.”
“Justice, it appears, has been denied,” they wrote.
The celebrities are urging the Department of Justice to take new evidence pertaining to Mount Pleasant police officer Ronald Beckley “into true account.”
Beckley, in a deposition about two years after the fatal shooting, said that he fired his weapon at Hess, who he didn’t initially realize was an officer, because he believed Hess was the “aggressor” in the incident.
Danroy Henry Sr., the victim’s father, said recently that it’s unclear whether the grand jury was ever presented that information because it was made public after the grand jury heard testimony.
There’s other information that came out during hearings years later when the Henry family brought a civil lawsuit against Hess, Danroy Henry Sr. said, including that the officer conceded that he could have stepped out of the way of DJ’s car when it was about 30 feet from him.
“We’re hoping that anyone who can reopen this will reopen it,” Danroy Henry Sr. told The Associated Press on Friday. “All we’re asking for is what we asked for from the very beginning — it’s just a fair review of the real evidence, not sort of a fake presentation of a false narrative, which is all that we believe happened so far here.”
The elder Henry said officials should reopen the case and shouldn’t wait for calls for the family or others to take action.
“That’s sort of the old moment,” he said. “There’s a new moment that’s emerged that requires them to be better. That’s why people are in the streets.”
The celebrities' letter states: “The DOJ must truthfully determine whether a pattern and/or practice of discrimination played a role in the case of DJ Henry — and if it did — deliver the justice that restores this young man’s name and reputation, while giving hope to other young black men who are just like him and desperate for change."
The letter concludes by urging Barr to reopen the case and “probe the wrongful death.”
“The facts support this request, the law all but requires it, and justice — it demands it,” it states.
In June, a spokesperson for Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr. told The Enterprise that there were no plans to reopen the case at the time.
“The case could only be reopened if new evidence was discovered,” said office spokesperson Helen Jonsen.
But pressure to reopen the case continues to mount.
The 10 celebrities who sent the letter to Barr are not the only ones speaking out about DJ Henry’s case.
Actress and stand-up comedian Amy Schumer joined in on the call for justice on Tuesday, speaking about the case during an appearance on “The View.” She also tweeted about Henry’s case Tuesday morning.
“They are considering reopening the case because of new evidence. We need to support,” she wrote. “Please everyone I know post this and say his name #djhenry #justicefordjhenry”
Angella Henry, the victim’s mother, told The Enterprise in June that cases like the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery always bring back memories of DJ’s death. She said her family is hoping legislative change comes from the protests sparked by Floyd’s death — and they long for justice in DJ’s death.
“We’d welcome a reexamination into our son’s case,” she said. “All of the evidence is there, we just need someone with the courage to convict all those involved.”
Contributing: Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press