Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Eslam Hegazy

  

New York Attorney General Letitia James released footage from body-worn cameras (BWC) that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Eslam Hegazy, who died on February 25, 2026 following an encounter with members of the Vestal Police Department (VPD) in Vestal, Broome County.

On February 25, VPD officers arrived at a house in Vestal following a 911 call. The officers arrived between 11:45 a.m. and 11:49 a.m. and encountered Mr. Hegazy outside the house holding a knife. During the encounter, officers told Mr. Hegazy to drop the knife. At one point, a Taser was deployed at Mr. Hegazy. Mr. Hegazy still held the knife when two officers discharged their service weapons, striking him. Mr. Hegazy was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that day. Officers recovered a knife from the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released footage from BWCs that officers were equipped with during the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime. 

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