When 23-year-old white suspect Patrick James Dillon went on a rampage in Queens Sunday, his violent spree included slashing a woman in the neck and face, dousing a man with a flammable substance and setting him on fire, fatally stabbing another man and splashing police officers with acid before being shot in both legs by police after refusing to put a knife down.
However, his treatment is raising questions because of the fact that many Black suspects who have done very minimal things or nothing at all, when encountered by police usually die. Critics say Dillon’s treatment is the result of a privilege not given to Black suspects, who are usually killed on the spot by law enforcement.
Dillon’s rampage began Sunday morning, when he slashed his female neighbor, 39-year-old Berta Carpio, on the cheek and in the back of her head. Caprio was reportedly walking to church when she was attacked.
The suspect’s next victim was 55-year-old George Patouhas, owner of Astoria Liquors and Wines, just after 3 p.m. James stabbed Patouhas to death in the store Patouhas owned.
Shortly after, Dillon used a flammable substance from the liquor store to douse a homeless man before setting him on fire. The crime spree ended when police surrounded Dillon’s home on 42nd Street and Newtown Road at 5:45 p.m.
Armed with a knife and a glass bottle full a caustic liquid, Dillon was ordered by police to put the knife down. He then threw the liquid in the face of two officers, burning their hands and faces. He was then shot and wounded by police.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Dillon suffered from mental health issues and that he had no history of violent crime. He reportedly suffers from a bipolar disorder. De Blasio called for a reevaluation of the city’s mental health services, something never discussed when a Black suspect commits a crime and is killed by police.
“From what we know, this is not someone who would’ve come up on the radar as a particular threat,” de Blasio said Monday. “This horrible tragedy over the weekend is not only very painful but also very complex because the individual had no history of significant violence.”
Numerous confrontations with police by Black men who are unarmed, however, haven’t always gotten policy changed or raised issues about overhauling any of the city’s agencies.
This week, one of the most the most critical confrontations between a police officer and Black man resulting in death resulted in a devastating blow to the community’s faith in the justice system. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday declined to charge the NYPD officer involved in the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Ramarley Graham, citing insufficient evidence for a criminal civil rights case against the officer.
Graham was gunned down on the afternoon of Feb. 2, 2012, by NYPD officer Richard Haste as he attempted to flush a small amount of marijuana down the toilet in his own home. Video surveillance shows the teen calmly entering his home, and seconds later, the cops are seen in hot pursuit, smashing in the front door and entering the home without permission or a warrant.
A Bronx grand jury indicted Haste on two counts of manslaughter, but Judge Steven Barrett dismissed the indictment because of a prosecutorial error made by the office of Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson.
Since the shooting, Haste has received a pay raise of nearly $25,000 and a promotion.
Reports indicate that Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, personally informed the family of the decision to not prosecute. In February, Graham’s mother, Constance Malcolm, along with supporters, held an all-night vigil hoping for justice.
“To prove a violation of the federal criminal civil rights statute, prosecutors must establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a law enforcement officer willfully deprived an individual of a constitutional right, meaning that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids,” the Department of Justice said in statement. “This is the highest standard of intent imposed by law and is different from and higher than the intent standard under the relevant state statutes.”
“Four years fighting for justice, and in four years we get this decision,” Malcolm said in one interview. “Not good. This officer walks free, they get a pay raise, they get a promotion and nothing has been done to them.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton said in statement that he was disappointed by the decision of the U.S. attorney.
“This is a very painful decision for the family and the public at-large,” Sharpton said. “I gave the eulogy at Ramarley Graham’s funeral and pledged to stand with the family then, and National Action Network will continue to stand with them now as they pursue justice. I join the family in calling for the immediate termination of these officers from the force. They are a clear and present danger to all citizens.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz said the family’s quest for justice being twice denied sends the wrong message.
“After today’s announcement, we must share in the family’s frustration, having to relive this tragedy four years since Ramarley Graham’s life was taken away from him,” Diaz said. “This latest development is an outrage. Given what we know about the facts of this case, how could they not have convened a grand jury? The U.S. attorney owes our community a real explanation.”
