Deborah Danner was a 66-year old senior citizen with schizophrenia. On October 18, 2016, Deborah was in her Bronx apartment when a neighbor called the police and reported that Deborah was screaming. New York City Police Sergeant Hugh Barry arrived on the scene.

Initially, the police said that Sergeant Barry persuaded Ms. Danner to drop a pair of scissors, but that she picked up a bat and tried to swing at him. Several other officers were at the scene, in the building at 630 Pugsley Avenue, but only Sergeant Barry was in the bedroom with Ms. Danner.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said Sergeant Barry failed to follow police protocol for dealing with people with mental illness. Specifically, he did not use his stun gun to try to subdue Ms. Danner, and he did not wait for a specialized Emergency Service Unit to arrive.

Today, May 31, 2017, Sergeant Barry, appeared in court in the Bronx before Judge Robert A. Neary. He was charged with murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. He posted a $50K cash bail after entering a please of not guilty to all counts.

Wallace Cooke, 74-years old, is a retiree of the New York Police Department. He is also Deborah Danner’s cousin. Cooke told the New York Daily News;

“Debbie had no reason to die, and the cop had no reason to shoot her. He intended to kill her, no doubt. When you shoot somebody twice in her own bedroom? All he had to do was close the damn door and walk out.”

Barry has been placed on suspended duty pending the results of trial. His next court date is July 7, 2017.