Family of Kawaski Trawick Speaks Out on Sewell Resignation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Tuesday, June 13, 2023

MEDIA CONTACTS

Kristine Mikkelsen, kmikkelsen@spitfirestrategies.com

Eliel Cruz, press@justicecommittee.org

New York - In response to the announcement that NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell is resigning, the parents of Kawaski Trawick, who was killed by police in his own home in 2019, issued the following statement, attributable to Ellen and Rickie Trawick.

“Commissioner Sewell’s resignation highlights the urgent need to immediately fire the officers who murdered our son. By the time she leaves, three commissioners will have come and gone since Kawaski was killed by NYPD Officers Thompson and Davis in 112 seconds after they broke into his home while he was cooking four years ago. Each commissioner has aided in well-documented delays, cover-up and roadblocks, denying our family any semblance of accountability and endangering New Yorkers by keeping these cops on payroll. After sitting through a trial where one of the officers admitted it was wrong to tase our son and witnessing the NYPD judge act with bias in favor of the cops, we're concerned that Sewell’s departure will just be another painful delay in our fight to make sure that Thompson and Davis are fired.

In light of Mayor Adams’ and Commissioner Sewell’s public commitments to hold officers to account, we demand urgent action to immediately fire Officers Thompson and Davis. Sewell & Adams have everything they need to make the decision to fire the cops who killed our son -- it's Eric Adams' responsibility to protect New Yorkers from violent officers and to deliver our family the hard-fought accountability we need and not allow more delays, obstruction or corruption to block the firing of Thompson and Davis.”

Background: On April 14, 2019, Kawaski Trawick locked himself out of his apartment while he was cooking. The fire department let Mr. Trawick back into his apartment without incident. Mr. Trawick was cooking in his home after the situation had been resolved when NYPD Officers Thompson and Davis illegally entered Mr. Trawick’s apartment by using a baton to break the chain on his door, and killed him in 112 seconds.

After tasing and shooting Mr. Trawick, neither of the officers attempted to administer emergency medical aid. They closed the door to Kawaski’s apartment, then stood outside, leaving Mr. Trawick to bleed out on the floor.

Over the past four years, through two mayoral administrations and three police commissioners, there’s been a series of cover-ups, delays and obstruction, preventing the public from knowing about Kawaski Trawick and to shield the officers from being fired.

The discipline trial for Thompson and Davis concluded last month, and now the NYPD Commissioner must decide if the officers are fired based on the evidence presented during the course of the trial. The family and advocates are demanding that Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Sewell fire both Thompson and Davis as soon as possible, and not drag out the decision-making for months.

Mr. Trawick was a Black gay man, a son, and a brother pursuing his dreams as a dancer in New York City before that dream and his life was cut short at the hands of NYPD Officers Thompson and Davis.

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