9/27/2016
By Ivan Pereira
The off duty cop who shot a Brooklyn man during an alleged road rage incident over the summer was held Tuesday on $500,000 bail following his indictment on second-degree murder charges, the state attorney general’s office said.
Wayne Isaacs, 37, who reportedly didn’t testify before the grand jury, was also charged with manslaughter and suspended from the force, according to police officials.
The case marks the first time that state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman prosecuted an officer since Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave him power to investigate policerelated killings last year.
On July 4, Delrawn Small approached Isaacs’s car at a stop light at Bradford Street and Atlantic Ave, after the off-duty cop allegedly cut him off. Small was shot three times in front of his girlfriend and children.
The police initially contended that Small punched Isaacs through the window however surveillance footage showed the officer opened fire almost as soon as Small came to his car.
Schneiderman wouldn’t go into more details about the other evidence that his office was looking at but said the video was a major component.
“The evidence is what it is and speaks for itself,” he said.
Isaacs surrendered his gun and passport and will be wearing an ankle bracelet, according to the attorney general. His next court date is Nov. 22. The Police Benevolent Association and Isaacs’s attorney didn’t return requests for comment.
Sanford Rubenstein, the attorney representing Small’s family, called the indictments a “step in the right direction,” and said the case will be important for future police-related shootings.
“It will be watched very carefully not only in the state but in the entire country,” he said.
