The Killing of Amadou Diallo
Amadou Diallo was only 23 years old when four members of the now-defunct New York Police Department (NYPD) Street Crimes Unit shot at him 41 times, with 19 of those shots hitting his body and killing him. What would follow would be a search for justice which would never come.
An immigrant from Guinea, Diallo came to America in September 1996 to live with family and start a business with his cousin. He wanted to attend an American university to become a computer programmer, and when he came to New York, he was facing hardships. Not that his family couldn’t help support him, but he wanted to achieve his dreams independently.
At 12:40 a.m. on February 4, 1999, Diallo was returning to his apartment on Wheeler Avenue from a meal out. Four officers, Edward McMellon, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss, and Richard Murphy, were looking for an alleged serial rapist in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx.
When confronted by police officers, Diallo reached in his pocket for his wallet, and that is when police shot at him 41 times. Nineteen of those shots hit him and killed him.
His mother, Kadiatou, recounts their final conversation five days prior. Amadou had finally saved enough money to go to college. When she reached New York after being informed of his death, she cried out her son’s name and smelled his clothing so she could at least have a small piece of him.
The public’s outrage and following press attention came swiftly. On March 25, 1999, a grand jury indicted the four officers on charges of second-degree murder and reckless endangerment. The trial gained so much publicity that on December 16, 1999, the trial was moved out of the Bronx and to Albany, New York.
Despite knowing that Diallo’s death was a “mistake” according to the officers, they pin the blame firmly on his shoulders-saying that he didn’t follow their instructions. An eyewitness, Schrrie Elliott testified that the officers continued to shoot at Diallo after he was already on the ground. Elliott’s accounts did waver at certain points, and the defense had her declared as a hostile witness.
When the jury was deliberating, they largely had to focus on the testimony of the officers themselves. After three days of jury deliberation, the officers were acquitted of all charges. Amadou’s father, Saikou, called the verdict the “second killing of his son.”
Protests against the verdict were swift, with over 2,000 people coming together in Midtown Manhattan to protest. The protest became so large that police officers blocked traffic on Fifth Avenue. Elsewhere in the city, residents mostly reacted with sadness and a determination that Amadou would not pass in vain according to the New York Times.
In April 2000, Kadiatou and Saikou Diallo filed a $61 million lawsuit against New York City and the officers involved in the shooting. They would eventually reach a settlement of $3 million.
She has since founded the Amadou Diallo Foundation, which advocates for racial equity and promotes education for those of African descent.
Photo: Twitter
