The Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester (APA) is a unified coalition of nearly fifty law enforcement labor organizations from throughout Westchester County. Founded in 1989, the mission of the APA is to identify the main issues that our dedicated law enforcement officers are facing, find creative solutions to these problems and promulgate these solutions through open discourse with our elected officials and the public.
The APA issues the following statement related to the actions of New Rochelle Police Detective Steven Conn:
On July 3, 2023, a team of New Rochelle police officers once again experienced how there is no such thing as a “routine” arrest, and how the unpredictable actions of one person can instantly elevate a simple arrest to a life and death situation.
Members of the New Rochelle Police Department received a complaint that an individual now known to be Jarrell Garris had committed a larceny at a local market. Three uniformed members of the New Rochelle Police Department, including Detective Steven Conn, observed Garris and attempted to take him into custody using a minimal amount of force. During this lawful arrest, Garris fought with the officers and resisted arrest. As the officers tried to gain control of Garris, they fell to the ground. Unexpectedly and unpredictably, Garris placed both hands on the grip of an officer’s firearm and repeatedly pulled at it in an effort to remove it from its holster. Body worn camera confirms conclusively that Garris intentionally grabbed the officer’s gun with both hands and attempted to pull it from its holster. Faced with a split-second life and death decision, and aware that Garris could have full control of the officer’s handgun in a heartbeat, Detective Conn justifiably fired one round at Garris, stopping the threat and saving the lives of the officers present.
Officers immediately used lifesaving techniques in an attempt to save Garris’ life and he was quickly transported to Westchester Medical Center. Tragically, having been on life support since the incident, Jarrell Garris died on Monday evening. The APA offers our condolences to the entire Garris family and to the New Rochelle community.
The APA fully recognizes the importance of full and complete transparency in all police involved shootings. We are pleased that the New Rochelle Police Department quickly released the body worn camera footage of this incident so that the public can have a true understanding of what happened and why and we look forward to a fair and expeditious review of this case by the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Unfortunately, a number of press releases and media reports have been less than transparent and have omitted many important factors that will help the public more clearly understand what led to Jarrell Garris’ death. While body camera footage clearly shows that Garris attempted to rip a handgun from one of the police officer’s holsters, there is much background information that the public should know to have a clearer picture of how and why this happened.
For the sake of transparency, here are some facts the public should be aware of: Jarrell Garris had a lengthy criminal past and a history of mental health issues, including schizophrenia. At the time of his death, he was on felony probation for Attempted Arson in the Third Degree following his arrest for setting fire to a trash chute in a Municipal Housing Residence in New Rochelle. He was sentenced to probationary supervision for five years on November 9, 2022, with his probation supervision transferred to North Carolina. On the date of his death, he was an absconder from North Carolina, and was not authorized to be in New York; earlier that same day, he had broken into the home of a New Rochelle resident.
Throughout his life, Jarrell Garris was subject to multiple arrests and convictions, including a 2007 felony conviction that resulted in a probationary term of five years. That plea covered a number of additional crimes, which included resisting arrest and reckless endangerment. His 2022 plea to Attempted Arson covered a number of local charges in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle as well, including a second allegation of Attempted Arson in the Fifth Degree.
Garris was a known user of dangerous and illegal drugs. In fact, he was admitted to Mount Vernon Hospital on July 1, 2023 – just two days before this shooting – after being observed self-mutilating himself in public. While detained, he acknowledged that he was under the influence of PCP. He was treated and released from Mount Vernon Hospital.
In summary, Jarrell Garris had a long and troubled history of mental health and legal issues, which by and large, went unaddressed. While the New Rochelle officers attempting to arrest Mr. Garris may not have known his complete criminal and mental health history, they did know that he was properly and legally subject to arrest. They also knew that, at the moment he was shot,
Garris was attempting to gain control of one of their firearms. This is the risk police officers take every day: that a seemingly simple arrest can become a life and death struggle without warning.
Sadly, Congressman Jamal Bowman has ignored all facts and has wrongly accused the officers of police brutality. Bowman dangerously continues to push his false narrative in a cheap attempt to score political points and, as usual, offers no solutions on how to solve the problem of violent mentally ill people roaming our streets. Instead, when tragedy happens, he predictably blames the police and ignores his own responsibilities as an elected official.
The simple yet tragic fact is that Detective Conn’s actions were made necessary by the actions of Jarrell Garris. Had Detective Conn not taken swift and decisive action, we could very easily be mourning the death of multiple police officers. Noting that nearly 200 police officers have been shot in the line of duty in the U.S. in 2023, with 28 fatally shot while protecting the communities they served, we are thankful that Detective Conn and all of the responding New Rochelle police officers are alive today.
The Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester offers its unequivocable support to the men and women of the New Rochelle Police Department. We remember that our job is never “routine” and we recognize the dangers inherent in policing and the risks faced by our Westchester police community every day. We thank the members of the New Rochelle Police Department – and all of the police departments throughout the County – for keeping our neighborhoods and families safe.
Det. Keith Olson
President
Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester
