The Buckingham

On October 17, 2010 police officer Aaron Hess of the Pleasantville Police Department shot and killed university student Danroy “DJ” Henry, Jr.  Today, the Henry family still grieves and seeks the truth of what happened that night.

There have been various versions of the story as to the events that took place on that night.  Officer Hess claims DJ Henry tried to run him over and his only possible response for the sake of his safety was to shoot.  Others who witnessed the incident say the officer asked Henry to move out of a fire lane and when Henry began driving the car forward out of the lane Hess jumped onto the hood of the car and began firing.

The actions that occurred were not recorded by cameras installed in police cruisers because at the time, the cameras were either turned off or out of service.  The judge at the head of the case has refused to release the 911 recordings to the Henry family who are only seeking some kind of closure.

As the truth about what happened that night has still not come to light, part of the Henry family’s retaliation is a law suit of $120 million “against the suburban towns whose officers were involved.”  Of course, no monetary value can ever be put on the loss of their son’s life.

To add salt to the wounds Officer Hess recently received an Officer of the Year award from the Pleasantville police department.  After the incident of last year, he sustained serious knee injuries and is still recovering.  The award was given in light of these facts.  He is seen as a hero in the eyes of the city’s police department.

The controversy in the entire affair lies in the possibility of racial bias.  Hess, a white police officer, shot and killed an unarmed black man.  Race plays its part in the haziness of the incident.  Another issue with the incident lies in how police officers are trained.  It is believed by some that racial profiling has become an art and thus a huge problem.