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Robert “Todd” McLaurin

Age : 40

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/24/2024

Location : Henry Hudson Parkway near West 154th Street

City : New York

County : New York

State : New York

Agency : New York City Police Department

Officer(s) :Boubacar Barry

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/24/2024, at approximately 2:20 a.m., Robert “Todd” McLaurin, 40, was killed alongside his cousin Kirk Walker Jr., 38, in a head-on collision on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. McLaurin had traveled from North Carolina with family to celebrate Walker's wedding, which was scheduled for the following day.
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The sequence leading to the crash began when a Chevrolet Silverado driven by 17-year-old Jimmy Connors struck a vehicle associated with off-duty NYPD Officer Boubacar Barry near Dyckman Street. Barry then followed Connors in his personal vehicle. Subsequent litigation alleges that Barry pursued Connors at high speed rather than simply reporting the collision and allowing on-duty police to respond.
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Connors drove down an exit ramp, made a U-turn and began traveling south in the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway. Barry continued following him. A later lawsuit alleges that the two vehicles were traveling at excessive speeds and driving erratically against traffic during the pursuit.
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Near West 154th Street, Connors's pickup crashed head-on into the Dodge Challenger carrying McLaurin and Walker. Both men were killed. Connors subsequently left the crash scene on foot and was located the following day at the Canadian border.
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Prosecutors later charged Connors with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and other offenses. He pleaded not guilty.
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The New York Attorney General's Office examined whether Barry's pursuit contributed to the fatal collision. Walker's family subsequently filed civil litigation alleging that Barry's high-speed wrong-way pursuit contributed directly to the crash.
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McLaurin was born on 09/25/1983 and lived in North Carolina. He was the father of two sons, Kaleb and Josiah McLaurin, and was survived by his parents, Dwight and Betty McLaurin, and his sister, Tonja McLaurin. His funeral was held on 09/02/2024 at Western Assembly Disciple of Christ Church in Newton Grove, North Carolina.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
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Boubacar Barry was the off-duty NYPD officer identified in subsequent litigation as pursuing Connors before the fatal wrong-way collision. The civil lawsuit alleges that Barry's pursuit was reckless and contributed to the deaths of Walker and McLaurin.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://nypost.com/2024/08/29/us-news/wrong-way-nyc-driver-who-killed-groom-to-be-first-hit-off-duty-cop-police-sources/
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/henry-hudson-parkway-wrong-way-crash/
https://www.longislandpress.com/2025/07/29/suit-jimmy-connors-syosset/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/driver-crash-killed-groom-eve-141900628.html
https://www.butlerandson.com/obituary/Robert-McLaurin
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-kirk-walker-and-robert-mclaurin-family-support