On Feb. 25, Vestal police shot and killed a man who was allegedly experiencing a mental health crisis, spurring an investigation from the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation.
Around 11:36 a.m., police officers arrived at a home at 581 Sequoia Lane in Vestal, responding to a call that an individual was experiencing a mental health crisis. According to a New York State Police press release, officers arrived on the scene and found Eslam Hegazy, 38, outside the house, holding a knife and threatening self-harm. Police requested Hegazy drop the knife numerous times, but Hegazy allegedly ignored these requests and threw a television at officers.
At one point during the encounter, police deployed a taser at Hegazy, according to the attorney general’s report. The state police report said that officers made “repeated verbal commands” and “multiple attempts to de-escalate the situation” before Hegazy allegedly raised the knife and advanced toward an officer. Two officers then fired shots at Hegazy, who was reportedly still holding the weapon.
He was then taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries later that day at UHS Wilson Medical Center. Police recovered a knife from the scene.
Hegazy is survived by his wife, Dr. Eman Elatter and three children — his 7 and 8-year-old daughters and his 5-month-old son. Hegazy and his family were attendees of the Islamic Organization of the Southern Tier. He was a graduate of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute and worked for the New York State Department of Transportation as a highway design engineer.
“Eslam’s life was tragically cut short after he was shot and killed by police at his home during a mental health crisis,” read a Feb. 26 Facebook post by the IOST. “As his family navigates this unimaginable trauma, we are coming together to support them and honor his memory.”
The IOST has since started a GoFundMe in support of Hegazy’s family, which has raised over $41,000 of its $50,000 goal as of March 4.
On Feb. 26, community members gathered outside of the Vestal Police Department to hold a candlelight vigil in honor of Hegazy. Signs at the protest demanded that the VPD “release the bodycam footage.”
“The bodycam footage, and details of the incident, will be released as soon as the Attorney General’s Office permits it,” Vestal Town Supervisor Maria Sexton said in a Feb. 27 press release. “Once they see the facts, I am confident that our residents will understand that our officers acted appropriately.”
A “Justice for Eslam” rally was also held on Friday at Memorial Park at Four Corners in Vestal.
Per state law, cases involving the use of lethal force are transferred to the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation.
It is not yet clear how long the investigation will take. If the office concludes that an officer caused a death, it is required to either bring the evidence to a grand jury to seek an indictment or issue a public report on the investigation and its findings that explains why it chose not to proceed with an indictment. The office will also issue a report if the evidence is presented to a jury and they do not return an indictment.
“Eslam was a deeply kind and genuine soul who left a lasting impression on everyone he met,” read a memorial post on GoFundMe.