Posted on: August 06, 2026 07:00 AM

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Attorney General James releases footage from investigation into death of Shaun Humphrey

New York Attorney General Letitia James today released body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Shaun Humphrey, who died on August 15, 2023 following an incident at the Erie County Holding Center (ECHC) on August 8, 2023 in Buffalo. 

On August 8, 2023, Mr. Humphrey was in custody at ECHC and appeared to be having a seizure. After receiving assistance from members of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO), Mr. Humphrey became physically combative, so the ECSO members held Mr. Humphrey in a prone position to handcuff him. When Mr. Humphrey stopped responding, the ECSO members attempted to treat him before he was taken to a local hospital. Mr. Humphrey was pronounced dead a week later, on August 15, 2023.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released footage from body-worn cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

From AG