Complaint #201700136,
January 1, 2017

Summary

On January 1, 2017, at approximately 12:30 a.m., an unknown number of gunshots were fired outside of [redacted] in Brooklyn. At the time the shots were fired, [redacted] and her family and friends were inside of [redacted]'s apartment, [redacted] celebrating the New Year and commemorating the anniversary of [redacted]s nephew's death. More than 20 people were inside of [redacted]s apartment. [redacted]s son, [redacted] and a few of his friends, including [redacted] and [redacted] were in the lobby of [redacted] drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. They saw three officers, identified via the investigation as Lieutenant Omar Birchwood (who at the time of the incident was a sergeant assigned to PSA 2), Police Officer Ryan Jaffe, and Police Officer Johnathan Frith of Police Service Area 2, enter into the lobby and, upon seeing the officers, ran back into [redacted]s apartment. The officers came to the door of [redacted] and asked what the individuals who had just been in the lobby were doing. [redacted] and his friends told the officers they had been drinking and the officers then left the building.
Approximately 40 minutes later, there was a knock at [redacted]s door and multiple officers were standing in the hallway outside the entrance to her apartment. Two officers, identified as Lt. Birchwood and Deputy Inspector Lance of Police Service Area 2, spoke to [redacted] and the other family members at the door. Immediately after the occupants of the apartment opened the door to speak to the officers, Lt. Birchwood placed his foot across the threshold of the door jam (Allegation A). The officers told [redacted] that [redacted] and asked for [redacted]s consent to enter and search her apartment. The officers mentioned that one of the individuals with a firearm was wearing a green jacket. [redacted] refused to allow the officers to enter and search her apartment. At that time, a group of male individuals, identified as [redacted] and [redacted] exited the apartment and were stopped and frisked by PO Matthew Byrnes,... Read report for details.