Teen Wrongly Accused by NYPD of Parade Shooting
A Life Upended by a False Identification
Camden Lee was leaving high school football practice in September when he saw the photograph, splashed across the New York Police Department’s social media accounts, that would soon upend his life.
In a crisp surveillance image, the 15-year-old stands alone in a hoodie and shorts, eyes cast down on a Brooklyn street. “The pictured individual,” police declared in an accompanying caption, had “discharged a firearm” at the West Indian American Day parade, killing one person and wounding four others.
“I see the NYPD logo. I see me. I see ‘suspect wanted for murder,’” Lee recalled. “I couldn’t believe what was happening. Then everything went blurry.”
A Quiet Retraction, No Public Acknowledgment
In private, police backpedaled almost immediately. After meeting with Lee and his lawyer, they declined to bring charges, then quietly removed his photograph from their X and Instagram accounts. But they have not publicly acknowledged the retraction, ignoring the repeated pleas of Lee and his mother, who say their lives remain threatened by the falsehood.
The Family’s Search for Answers
The family’s search for answers has raised questions about the NYPD’s policies for correcting misinformation at a time when the department is already facing scrutiny for other social media misrepresentations.
“I used to have a lot of trust in the NYPD and how they do things,” said Lee’s mother, Chee Chee Brock, whose older son recently joined the force. “But I raised my kids to admit when they made a mistake. If you can blame an innocent kid for murder, what else can you get away with?”
The Investigation and the Mistake
The day of the shooting, Lee said, he left football practice and stopped at the annual Labor Day celebration of Caribbean culture with a teammate at around 1 p.m. Minutes later, as gunfire erupted along the route, his friend was grazed in the shoulder. The surveillance image, Lee said, showed his stunned expression after hearing gunshots for the first time, then watching his bloodied friend carted away on a stretcher.
When police published it, on Sept. 19, Lee’s mother immediately contacted an attorney, Kenneth Montgomery, who offered to set up a meeting with homicide detectives that night. But police told the lawyer to bring the teen to Brooklyn’s 77th precinct station the following week. At the meeting — according to Montgomery, Lee and his mother — the detectives said he was not a suspect.
The Aftermath
By then the NYPD’s communications division had widely distributed the photograph of Lee to media outlets and TV stations, which urged people to come forward with tips about the unnamed suspect.
In recent weeks a high-ranking department official has urged some outlets not to use the image in follow-up stories about the shooting, according to text messages shared with The Associated Press. But those conversations with reporters were “off the record,” preventing news sites from explaining why the photograph was removed.
In the absence of official clarification, the photo has continued to circulate online, triggering a barrage of death threats against Lee from online sleuths who tracked down his own social media accounts.
Conclusion
The case of Camden Lee serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accuracy and transparency in law enforcement, particularly in the age of social media. The NYPD’s failure to correct its mistake and provide a clear explanation has caused irreparable harm to Lee and his family, and has raised serious questions about the department’s policies and procedures.
FAQs
Q: Why was Camden Lee identified as a suspect?
A: The exact reason for Lee’s identification as a suspect is unclear. Police have not provided a clear explanation for the mistake.
Q: How did the NYPD respond to the mistake?
A: The NYPD declined to bring charges against Lee and removed his photograph from their social media accounts, but they have not publicly acknowledged the retraction.
Q: What is the current status of the investigation?
A: The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but the NYPD has not provided an update on the status of the case.
Q: What is the family doing to move forward?
A: The family is seeking answers and justice, and is considering legal action against the NYPD. They are also working to rebuild their lives and move forward from the trauma caused by the false identification.
