Attorney General’s report: State trooper justified in fatal shooting of Bloomfield teen

BLOOMFIELD, N.Y. — The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations has released their report on a fatal interaction between a Bloomfield teen and New York State Trooper, Adam Latulipe.

Body camera footage from the night of November 15, 2023, shows a trooper fatally shooting a 17-year-old, after police say the teen lunged at the trooper with a knife.

Click here for News10NBC’s reporting, full details of the interaction, and the after math.

Thursday, the report from the Attorney General’s Office says the Trooper’s actions were justified:

“Following a thorough investigation, which included review of body-worn camera footage, statements from involved officers, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law,”

The Attorney General’s Office explains a police officer may use deadly physical force when the officer reasonably believes it’s necessary to defend themselves, according to New York’s justification law.

The report says in part:

“In this case, C.W. charged at the officer with a knife. Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s use of force to stop C.W. was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges should not be pursued in this matter.”

To read the full report, click here.