Edmund Perry was a 17 year old Harlem resident who was shot to death by a plainclothes policeman on June 12, 1985. The case briefly generated a firestorm of protest in New York City when it was revealed that Perry was an honor student and was enrolled to attend Stanford on scholarship; however, witnesses claimed that Perry and his brother had attempted to mug the officer, and the shooting was ruled justifiable.
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The incident
Lee Van Houten, a 24 year old plainclothes policeman, was on assignment in the neighborhood of Morningside Park on the night of June 12 1985, when he was assaulted by two men who attempted to mug him. According to Van Houten, he was approached from behind and yanked to the ground by his neck, where two black men beat him and demanded that he give them money. He drew his gun from his ankle holster and fired three times, hitting Edmund Perry in the abdomen. The other attacker fled, and was later identified by witnesses as Jonah Perry, Edmund's bother.
Reaction
Perry's academic record as a graduate of prestigious prep school Phillips Exeter Academy led to significant press coverage, much of it unfavorable to the police. The front page headline of the New York Post the next day was "COP KILLS HARLEM HONOR STUDENT". The Village Voice suggested that Perry was shot because he was "too black for his own good", and the New York Times wrote that "...the death of Edmund Perry raises painfully troubling questions". However, 23 witnesses backed up Van Houten's version of events, and the media firestorm was short-lived. Van Houten was cleared of any culpability in the shooting. Jonah Perry was later put on trial for assaulting officer Van Houten and was found not guilty. The incident was made into a TV movie called "Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story".
References
- Anson, Robert Sam. Best Intentions: The Education and Killing of Edmund Perry (ISBN 0-394-75707-6). [N.B. Anson's son Sam Anson (1987) was sent down from Exeter]
- Shattering a Fragile Dream." Time Magazine. July 15, 1985
