 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Date | May 22, 2003; 22 years ago (2003-05-22) |
|---|---|
| Location | Manhattan,New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Also known as | Ousmane Zongo shooting
|
| Outcome | Ousmane Zongo's death |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Criminallynegligent homicide |
Ousmane Zongo (c. 1960 – May 22, 2003) was aBurkinabé arts trader living in the United States who was shot and killed by Brian Conroy, aNew York City Police Department officer, during a warehouse raid on May 22, 2003. Zongo was not armed. Conroy did not receive any jail time but was convicted of criminallynegligent homicide, receivedprobation, and lost his job as a police officer.
Police had targeted aManhattan storage facility while investigating a CD/DVDinfringement operation. Zongo repaired art and musical instruments at the same location but was never implicated in any way in the scheme. The shooter, NYPD officer Bryan Conroy, was disguised as a postal worker. He was guarding a bin of CDs when Zongo appeared to turn on a light. A chase ensued that ended when Zongo ran into a dead end. Conroy shot Zongo four times, once in the back.[1] The NYPD later admitted Zongo had nothing to do with the counterfeiting and prosecutors contended Zongo ran from Conroy because he was frightened and confused when Conroy, who was not in police uniform, drew his weapon. The case drew parallels to that ofAmadou Diallo, an unarmed immigrant fromGuinea who was shot and killed by New York City Police Department officers inthe Bronx in 1999.Al Sharpton led protests against allegedpolice brutality andracial profiling and was involved in getting Zongo's family fromBurkina Faso to attend court proceedings.[citation needed]
Justice Robert H. Straus convicted Conroy of criminallynegligent homicide,[2] while clearing the officer of the more serious charge ofsecond-degree manslaughter, which has a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The judge convicted him after a jury deadlocked, 10–2 in favor of conviction, on the manslaughter charge in his first trial in March. Conroy did not receive any jail time but was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and was given five years'probation, automatically losing his job with the NYPD.[3]
Zongo's widow, Salimata Sanfo, and his two children live inBurkina Faso.