White Plains Police Confirm Name of Officer That Shot Kenneth Chamberlain

The White Plains Department of Public Safety has confirmed Officer Anthony Carelli as the cop who fatally shot former marine Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.

Police, however, did not confirm whether Carelli is the subject of a police brutality lawsuit, as reported by The Daily News, or what Carelli’s current assignment is. Carelli shot Chamberlain, a 68-year-old black former correctional office, in his apartment, at 135 S. Lexington Ave., on Nov. 19 when police responded to his medical alert device.

The incident has attracted national media coverage, in light of the Florida shooting of a 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, which has brought up questions of racial profiling and "."

"This case not only brings into question the policies and practices of this department; but it is an open question whether it was inevitable, particularly in light of the audio tapes and video tapes witnessed by Mr. Chamberlain's family members and attorneys where racial slurs and expletives were used before ultimately shooting him twice in the chest and killing him," reads a petition started by Chamberlain's family on SignOn.org.

White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong said that his department has fully cooperated with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and will continue to do so.

“We are confident that the presentation to the Grand Jury will be thorough,” said Chong, in . “Given the pending nature of that presentation we will have no further comment until the Grand Jury completes its investigation and its findings are made public.” 

Chamberlain’s family said the device accidently went off that that even though Chamberlain said he was fine, police still knocked down his door. Police said that Chamberlain was screaming, emotionally disturbed and that he charged at police with a hatchet and a knife.

Police tasered and shot Chamberlain with a beanbag gun before he was fatally shot in the chest twice. Police also reported that even as they tried to subdue him, he attempted to cut his own throat with the knife.  Click for the original story on the shooting.

The Daily News reports that one of Chamerblain’s neighbors said that she would often hear Chamberlain screaming in the night and that police would often visit his apartment. She heard Chamberlain say he was going to commit suicide on the night he died. Another neighbor said he heard Chamberlain repeatedly tell police that he was fine before they broke down the door. The neighbor said that he almost told police to leave Chamberlain alone.

Chamberlain’s family, who intends to sue the City, said audio and video recordings show that police shouted racial slurs, calling Chamberlain "nigger" and that he was unarmed in his boxer shorts when he was killed, according to The Daily White Plains. The website also reports that the family was pushing the Westchester County District Attorney’s office to make the recordings public and to release the officer’s name.

The Daily News said that Carelli, a Harrison resident, is currently the subject of a $10 million lawsuit for police brutality stemming from an incident outside Black Bear Saloon in 2008.

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach said he has pushed for a thorough investigation from the start.

“A full investigation is owed to the late Mr. Chamberlain, and his family, the police officers involved and our community,” said Roach, in . “Our great city deserves nothing less.”

Click here to follow White Patch's coverage of the shooting of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. 

Like us on  Facebook  (facebook.com/WhitePlainsPatch) and follow us on  Twitter (twitter.com/WhtPlainsPatch)