The Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation announced Tuesday that it would not pursue criminal charges against New York City police officers who fatally shot Royston Bacchus on October 5, 2025, following a foot chase that ended with Bacchus holding a firearm on Coventry Road in Brooklyn. The office said in a notification of investigative findings that "a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers' use of deadly physical force was justified under the law."
The incident began at approximately 9:11 a.m. when NYPD officers responded to a 911 call at a residence on East 86th Street in Brooklyn. According to the investigation, officers encountered Bacchus as he was exiting the building and pursued him on foot to Coventry Road, where he stopped running while holding a gun. Officers repeatedly commanded Bacchus to drop the weapon, but he allegedly responded "Shoot me" while continuing to hold the firearm, prompting one officer to discharge his service weapon.
Bacchus was struck by gunfire and transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a gun and bullets at the scene. The entire incident was captured on the shooting officer's body-worn camera, and the Attorney General's office released still frames showing Bacchus holding the weapon.
The investigation was conducted under New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, which requires the Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation to assess every incident where a police officer may have caused a person's death. The law mandates OSI review all such cases regardless of whether the officer was on or off duty and whether the decedent was armed or unarmed.
In cases where the evidence and legal analysis are clear, OSI may issue a notification of investigative findings before releasing the final investigation report required by law. The office indicated that a comprehensive investigation report will follow the notification.
The decision not to pursue charges reflects the high legal standard for prosecuting police officers in deadly force cases, where prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of force was not justified under New York law. The presence of body-worn camera footage showing Bacchus holding a weapon and his alleged statements likely contributed to OSI's conclusion that criminal charges could not be sustained at trial.