Family of man killed by police calls for officers’ firing after AG releases bodycam video
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Body-camera footage released Tuesday night depicts the shooting incident which left 29-year-old Far Rockaway man Chez Fray dead. Screenshot via Office of the Attorney General
By Ryan Schwach
The family of a man shot and killed by police called for accountability after the state’s attorney general released footage of the fatal shooting on Tuesday.
Advocates for the family of 29-year-old Far Rockaway man Chez Fray, who was shot and killed on Dec. 21, want the new Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to fire the two officers who shot him.
The video footage, released on Tuesday night by the Office of the State Attorney General, showed the entire interaction beginning from when the two officers from the 101st Precinct met Fray’s parents to when they fired the fatal shot.
The entire incident lasted about five minutes.
Fray’s parents, who called the police, are now calling for the firing of Officers Amanda M. DelaRosa and Rocharlie Pointdujour, who they say did little to help their son.
“Chez’s parents called the NYPD seeking help when their son was experiencing an emotional disturbance,” said John Elefterakis of Elefterakis, Elefterakis & Panek, who are representing the Fray family. “Instead of receiving care from officers trained in de-escalation, a series of poor and improper policing decisions escalated the situation, ending with their only son being shot and killed.”
“A full review of the video shows that officers’ actions created the circumstances they later claimed required deadly force,” Elefterakis added. “What should have been a moment for care became an avoidable tragedy. New York City needs to trust its police officers and accountability for failures is a necessary component of that trust.”
Two of Far Rockaway’s elected officials, Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers and Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, called for a full and quick investigation into the incident.
“A family’s call for help should never end with their loved one killed by those asked to help. And the recently released body camera footage makes clear that this shooting was entirely preventable,” said Brooks-Powers.
“When an officer uses lethal force in a way that runs counter to their duty, accountability cannot be optional or delayed. That is why I am calling on NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to quickly review the actions of the officer who fired the fatal shot that killed Mr. Fray, determine her fitness to continue to serve as an NYPD officer, and look into the practices happening within this precinct.”
“The NYPD must act – now,” she added.
While Brooks-Powers did not explicitly call for the officers’ firing, Anderson did not mince words, specifically calling for the firing of Pointdujour, who fired the fatal shots.
“This body camera footage exposes the incompetence, inhumanity, and extreme lack of the most basic de-escalation tactics observed by the two officers of the 101st Precinct,” said Anderson. “I am calling on the mayor and the New York City Police Commissioner to relieve this officer of her duties immediately. I am also calling for the mayor to use this opportunity for a change in the way police respond to mental health crises, family disputes, and calls from those in distress.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked by the Eagle at an unrelated Queens press conference on Wednesday about the video.
“It’s incredibly heartbreaking to witness,” he said. “The police department is commencing an investigation into this incident, and I look forward to seeing the results.”
The Dec. 21 incident began when the officers arrived at the apartment building on Nameoke Street just after midnight. The officers were first met downstairs by Chez's parents, Kevin Fray and Sheanette Dunbar.
Dunbar told the officers that their son had been “cursing” and being “disrespectful.” When the officers asked if he had gotten aggressive, she said yes. Chez was believed to be having a bad reaction marijuana, according to Reverend Kevin McCall, who has advocated for the family.
The two officers and the parents went up an elevator to their apartment, which was empty when they arrived.
“He was here,” Dunbar said. “I left him in here and came downstairs.”
Queens Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson is calling for the firing of the officer who shot and killed 29-year-old Chez Fray in Far Rockaway in December. Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach
The officers continued to search the apartment until Chez was spotted in the hallway by his parents.
“Chez, the police,” his mother said while his father shouted at him.
Fray at first said little, standing in the hallway without reacting.
The officers then came out of the apartment, and noticed the box cutter he was holding in his right hand.
They ordered him to drop it, and both offices pulled out their tasers.
His father could be heard on the video also telling him to drop the box cutter, while the officers told the man to get away from his son.
“I’m going to taze him, back up,” DelaRosa said.
Soon after, Pointdujour's body camera footage showed her swapping her Taser for her gun.
“Don’t shoot him,” the elder Fray said, and DelaRosa asked Pointdujour if she called for backup, which she then did.
Moments later, Chez appeared to yell “shoot,” with his arms spread out. His father then confronts his son, wrapping his arms around him while the officers told him to back away.
Chez pushed his father, as the two appeared to tussle in the hallway.
McCall said that his father was trying to talk to his son during the tense moment.
“He was telling his son that he needed help,” he said. “He wanted to let his son know that he was there. The police were there, and they were trying to help him.”
Pointdujour then said she was “going to shoot him,” before being quickly shouted down by her partner, who told her not to shoot. .
Anderson specifically cites this moment in his statement, saying firing a gun “is never the appropriate response to a distressed individual in need of assistance.”
Chez’s parents plead with them not to shoot the man.
“He is my only child, my only son,” Dunbar said from behind the threshold of the apartment.
“I told your husband to back up, tell your husband to back up now,” one of the officers said in response.
Both body cameras were temporarily obstructed by the officers’ arms when the tussle between the father and son ended but the father appeared to run away behind the two officers. McCall claimed the elder Fray got “frustrated” trying to talk to his son, and was not trying to run away in fear.
“He moved out of that direction because he was frustrated with talking and holding his son,” McCall said.
Kevin Fray was followed by his son, who came down the hallway in the direction of his father and his officers.
DelaRosa fired her taser, and seconds later Pointdujour fired her gun twice, knocking Fray to the ground.
Fray was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment about the footage or the officers’ current employment status, but the department as well as the AG’s office will continue legally required investigations into the shooting.
This incident bears striking similarities to another recent police shooting, that of 19-year-old Win Rozario.
Rozario, who was shot in his home in March 2024, called the police himself, seeking help amid a mental health crisis.
In both incidents, one parent tried to physically intervene, and in both the parents pleaded with the officers not to fire their weapons.
The two officers in the Rozario shooting are now facing internal NYPD charges, but the attorney general's office declined to bring criminal charges against them.
“There needs to be prioritization of empathy and not actions based on fear and force,” Anderson said in his statement. “This is not an issue limited to any one community. Police accountability affects us all and should not be framed along racial lines. I support those in our community — both current leaders and candidates who speak out when injustice occurs.”
Additional reporting by Noah Powelson.
