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Tea’Shawn Walker

Age : 13

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 04/04/2022

Location : Broadway near Lawn Avenue

City : Albany

County : Albany

State : New York

Agency : Albany Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: Albany police initiated the pursuit after attempting to stop a vehicle that had been reported stolen. Walker was a 13-year-old passenger in the vehicle.
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NARRATIVE:
On 04/04/2022, 13-year-old Tea’Shawn Walker of Albany was killed while riding as a passenger in a vehicle that crashed into a building on Broadway near Lawn Avenue during an Albany Police Department pursuit. Five other teenagers, ranging in age from 13 to 17, were inside the vehicle.
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The vehicle had been reported stolen earlier that day. At approximately 4:30 p.m., Albany police officers located it near Northern Boulevard and attempted a traffic stop. The teenage driver continued away and Albany police initiated a pursuit that continued for approximately one mile.
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During the pursuit, the vehicle collided with another vehicle on Northern Boulevard but continued onto Broadway. Near Lawn Avenue, the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a building. Walker suffered critical injuries and was transported to Albany Medical Center, where he died. The other teenagers in the vehicle survived.
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Walker was a seventh-grade student at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School in Albany. He had previously attended Hackett Middle School and was known to school staff and students throughout the district. Following his death, Albany City School District made grief counselors and other support services available to students and staff.
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The Albany Police Department placed the two officers involved in the pursuit on administrative leave while the circumstances of the fatal crash were investigated. The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation opened an investigation because Walker died following an encounter involving police.
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The Attorney General’s Office subsequently reviewed police body-worn camera footage, surveillance video, civilian interviews and other evidence. The investigation concluded that the police vehicle did not strike the vehicle carrying Walker and determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish criminal culpability by the officers. The Attorney General therefore closed the investigation without criminal charges against the officers.
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The Attorney General nevertheless used Walker’s death to address the broader dangers created by police pursuits. The office recommended that Albany police modify its vehicle-pursuit policy and emphasized that pursuits can create substantial risks to passengers, pedestrians, other motorists and police officers.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Albany Police Department did not publicly identify the two officers who participated in the pursuit in the sources located. Both officers were placed on administrative leave following Walker’s death. The New York Attorney General’s Office subsequently declined to pursue criminal charges but recommended changes to Albany’s pursuit policy.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/13-year-old-Hackett-middle-schooler-dies-after-17057642.php