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Wesley Soper

Age : 32

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 12/17/2021

Location : Pittsford-Palmyra Road (Route 31) at Moseley Road (Route 250)

City : Perinton

County : Monroe

State : New York

Agency : Monroe County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Deputy Michael Houlihan

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Pedestrian struck and killed by police vehicle

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 12/17/2021, 32-year-old Wesley Soper was struck and killed by a marked Monroe County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle driven by Deputy Michael Houlihan at the intersection of Pittsford-Palmyra Road and Moseley Road in Perinton, New York. The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation subsequently conducted the state's investigation into Soper's death.
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At approximately 2:30 a.m., Houlihan was driving west on Pittsford-Palmyra Road while on patrol. He was not responding to an emergency call. Houlihan noticed a vehicle stopped near a drive-up ATM at a bank and considered it suspicious. According to investigators, Houlihan looked toward that vehicle while continuing through the intersection and struck Soper, who was crossing the roadway.
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Houlihan stopped after the collision and activated his body-worn camera. Emergency medical treatment was provided, and Soper was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 3:10 a.m.
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The Monroe County Sheriff's Office initially reported that GPS information showed Houlihan traveling approximately 47 mph in the posted 45-mph zone. The later Attorney General investigation used surveillance footage and crash reconstruction to estimate that Houlihan was traveling approximately 49.3 to 57.4 mph at impact — roughly 4 to 12 mph over the speed limit.
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Investigators determined that Houlihan had a green traffic signal and remained within his lane. The Attorney General reported that Soper was wearing dark clothing and headphones and was crossing against the traffic signal. Houlihan told investigators that he was looking toward the vehicle near the ATM and did not see Soper before the collision.
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Houlihan tested negative for alcohol. Investigators reviewed his cellphone and found no evidence that he was making a call or sending or receiving text messages at the time of the collision.
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Houlihan's patrol vehicle did not have a dashboard camera. His body-worn camera was not activated until after the collision and therefore did not record the impact. Investigators obtained surveillance footage from a nearby Walgreens and reviewed physical evidence, photographs, body-camera footage, police radio communications and crash-reconstruction evidence.
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On 09/28/2022, the New York Attorney General's Office announced that it would not pursue criminal charges against Houlihan. The Office of Special Investigation concluded that the available evidence would not establish criminally negligent homicide beyond a reasonable doubt. The Attorney General nevertheless recommended that the Monroe County Sheriff's Office establish a dashboard-camera program and equip patrol vehicles with dash cameras.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-office-special-investigation-releases-report-death-wesley
https://ag.ny.gov/office-special-investigation/investigative-reports
https://www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2021-12-20/ny-attorney-general-opens-investigation-into-recent-pedestrian-death-in-perinton
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/rochester/public-safety/2021/12/20/police-release-new-details--name-of-man-struck-and-killed-by-mcso-cruiser-in-perinton
https://www.whec.com/archive/mcso-identifies-perinton-man-hit-killed-by-deputy/
https://www.whec.com/local/state-ags-office-releases-report-on-man-struck-and-killed-by-monroe-county-deputys-patrol-car-in-2021/