Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Elijah Brown

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James released body-worn camera footage and footage from nearby security cameras that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Elijah Brown, who died on November 13, 2025 following an encounter with members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in Manhattan.

At approximately 7:20 p.m. on November 13, NYPD officers were canvassing an area after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a man with a gun. Officers encountered Mr. Brown, who matched the description of the man with a gun in his hand in front of an address on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Mr. Brown fired the gun, and officers discharged their service weapons in response, striking him. Mr. Brown was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officers recovered a gun at the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General’s Office released footage from body-worn cameras and nearby security cameras that captured 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. 

Warning: These videos contain content that viewers may find disturbing. 

Initial Public Meeting of the Commission on Government Efficiency

 

Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 5 p.m. 

Landmarks Preservation Commission Public Hearing Room 

253 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007 

Please bring a government-issued ID to enter the building. 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING 

The New York City Commission on Government Efficiency will hold its initial public meeting on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 5 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the Landmarks Preservation Commission Public Hearing Room, 253 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007.  Government-issued identification is required to enter the building. 

  

The commission is empowered to consider revisions to the New York City Charter for presentation to the voters at the November 3, 2026 general election, or at another designated election date pursuant to law. 

  

This meeting is open to the public.  Because this is a public meeting and not a public hearing, the public will have the opportunity to observe the commission’s discussions, but not testify before it.    

All public hearings and meetings will be livestreamed at the commission’s website, www.nyc.gov/charter. 

  

What if I need assistance to observe the meeting?  

This location is accessible to individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.  With advance notice, American Sign Language interpreters and translation services will be available.  Language translation or additional accessibility requests must be made by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2026, by emailing the commission at charterinfo@citycharter.nyc.gov or calling 212-788-0014.  All requests will be accommodated to the extent possible.   

  

Find out more about the New York City Commission on Government Efficiency by visiting  www.nyc.gov/charter. 

 

                                                                                                               

Friends,

HAPPENING THIS FRIDAY! Our first event in our summer event series in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

Join me on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 5:30 PM at Loreto Playground for a FREE community skate party.

Skates, equipment, and beginner lessons will all be provided free of charge.

• WHEN: Friday, June 5, 2026
• WHERE: Loreto Playground (1111 Van Nest Ave.) 
• TIME: 5:30 PM

Come skate into a beautiful Bronx evening with friends, family, and neighbors.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours Truly,

John Zaccaro, Jr. 

New York State Assembly

D.A. Bragg Announces Indictment In Midtown Murder, Robbery And Slashings

 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictment of JAYDEN SANCHEZ, 17, for allegedly murdering Leonides Baez and stabbing two other individuals in separate incidents in Midtown. SANCHEZ is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Murder in the Second Degree, three counts of Assault in the First Degree, and one count of Robbery in the Second Degree. [1]

“As alleged, Jayden Sanchez brutally murdered Leonides Baez in the heart of Times Square, abruptly ending his life. Additionally, he allegedly stabbed two others and robbed a newsstand in a spate of violent incidents,” said District Attorney Bragg. “This alleged conduct is abhorrent. My thoughts are with Mr. Baez’s loved ones who are mourning his tragic loss.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, on April 7, 2026, SANCHEZ and three others went into a souvenir shop on West 40th Street and started picking up merchandise and throwing it around the store. When they returned later that day, two workers asked them to leave. SANCHEZ took out a knife and stabbed one of the workers in the hand.

SANCHEZ and three others also allegedly repeatedly returned to a Midtown newsstand to steal merchandise and money. At approximately 3:00 a.m. on May 3, 2026, SANCHEZ threatened a worker at the newsstand saying that he has a knife and would cut him, then reached into the newsstand and took a cashbox containing several hundred dollars.

That evening, at approximately 6:00 p.m., SANCHEZ and his cohorts returned and threw a bottle at the glass window of the newsstand, breaking it.

Later that night, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the owner of the newsstand and several workers came to fix the broken glass, and SANCHEZ returned while they were there. The workers tried to hold SANCHEZ while they called for the police. SANCHEZ broke free and stabbed one of the workers in the chest, puncturing his lung and causing a hemopneumothorax.

As further alleged, on May 4, 2026, Leonides Baez was sleeping on a ledge in a breezeway between West 42nd Street and West 43rd Street. SANCHEZ and two others came up to him and began to harass him. One of them grabbed Mr. Baez’s bag and threw it on his head, waking him up. SANCHEZ and the others walked around the corner and each of them urinated in a cup.  SANCHEZ then gestured to Baez, who was still lying on the ledge, to approach them.

When Baez got up and jogged towards them, SANCHEZ’S friend hit Beaz with the cup full of urine, causing Mr. Baez to flee back towards his belongings on the ledge. SANCHEZ pulled out an 8-inch blade from his vest, followed Mr. Baez, grabbed him by the arm, turned him, and plunged the knife directly into his heart. SANCHEZ and his friends ran away.

Mr. Baez pleaded with a passersby for help, but lost consciousness quickly before EMS or police arrived. He died shortly thereafter.

Assistant D.A. Dafna Yoran (Trial Bureau 70) is handling the prosecution of this case with Assistant D.A. Lauren Breen (Trial Bureau 70) under the supervision of Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division), with the support of Senior Major Case Analyst Anstasia Trico and Senior Investigative Analyst Dalia Zuckermann, as well as Trial preparation assistant Sophia Filipof.

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, particularly Detective Danielle Venuto of the Manhattan South Homicide Squad, Officer Carlos Arias, Detective John Tuohy, and Detective Sean Gilbert of the Midtown South Precinct Detective Squad and Detective Thomas Donovan and Detective Michael DiPalma of the Midtown North Precinct Detective Squad.

California Sanctuary Politicians RELEASED Criminal Illegal Alien From Jail Who Went on to Commit Heinous Stabbing of Two Women and a Baby

 

ICE lodged an arrest detainer asking California sanctuary politicians to not release this criminal illegal alien AGAIN

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer asking sanctuary politicians in California to not release from jail an illegal alien who was arrested and charged with stabbing two women and an infant to death. This criminal illegal alien was previously RELEASED by California sanctuary politicians after his arrest for driving under the influence.

On May 28, 2026, the Modesto Police Department responded to reports of a disturbance at a home, where they found three victims with stab wounds. According to local reports, two of the victims – 23-year-old Fabiola Gonzalez-Nunez and 54-year-old Maria Sylvia Nunez-Villalobos – were pronounced dead at the scene. The third victim, an infant named Mateo Gonzalez, died at the hospital. Police confirmed that Gonzalez-Nunez was the infant’s mother and that Nunez-Villalobos was the infant’s grandmother.

Mateo Gonzalez

23-year-old Fabiola Gonzalez-Nunez (left) and 54-year-old Maria Sylvia Nunez-Villalobos (right)

Shortly after finding the victims, police arrested 28-year-old Joaquin Escoto Vazquez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, who is believed to have been in a relationship with Gonzalez-Nunez.

The suspect: Joaquin Escoto Vazquez

Vazquez now faces felony charges of homicide and cruelty toward child. His criminal history includes FOUR prior arrests for driving under the influence of liquor (DUI).

Following the most recent of Vazquez’s previous DUI arrests in June of 2025, ICE placed a detainer with the San Joaquin County Jail asking that he be turned over to ICE custody. Sanctuary politicians in California REFUSED to cooperate and RELEASED him without notifying ICE. 

ICE has placed another detainer on Vazquez with the Stanislaus County Jail following his arrest for the fatal stabbings.

“This monster’s heinous crime could have been prevented if sanctuary politicians in California simply cooperated with ICE law enforcement. This criminal illegal alien from Mexico is now charged with homicide and cruelty toward child after the fatal stabbings of a baby, the baby’s mother, and the baby’s grandmother,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “ICE had placed a detainer on him after he was arrested for driving under the influence of liquor in 2025, but California sanctuary politicians chose to RELEASE him instead of turning him over to ICE. Governor Gavin Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians must stop putting lives at risk by RELEASING criminals from jails into California communities to create more victims.”

Vazquez illegally entered the country in California in 2018, and was deported by the first Trump Administration. He then illegally re-entered the United States – a felony – at an unknown date and location. 

In February, ICE Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta calling on him to put the safety of Americans first and honor ICE arrest detainers of the more than 33,000 criminal illegal aliens in California’s custody. 

California’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 4,561 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. The crimes of these aliens include 31 homicides, 661 assaults, 574 burglaries, 184 robberies, 1,489 dangerous drugs offenses, 379 weapons offenses, and 234 sexual predatory offenses. 

There are currently 33,179 aliens in the custody of a California jurisdiction with active detainers. The crimes of these aliens include 399 homicides, 3,313 assaults, 3,171 burglaries, 1,011 robberies, 8,380 dangerous drugs offenses, 1,984 weapons offenses, and 1,293 sexual predatory offenses.

Man Sentenced for Kidnapping Victim at Gunpoint and Seeking Ransom for Drug Debt

 

A North Dakota man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for his role in a kidnapping for ransom resulting in the beating of the victim, holding him at gunpoint, and transporting him across states lines to Minnesota to collect an unpaid drug debt.

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of March 5, 2024, Kyle Kahalehili Maez-Schaack, 33, of Grand Forks, North Dakota, at the orders of the co-defendant and an unindicted co-conspirator, kidnapped the victim. The co-defendant sent Maez-Schaack a screen shot of the victim’s social media profile and his address and ordered Maez-Schaack to pick up the victim to collect a drug debt. The victim owed the co-defendant $6,000 for 500 grams of methamphetamine. Maez-Schaack and others took the victim at gunpoint from Fargo, North Dakota, to Moorhead, Minnesota. There, the victim was held for ransom and ordered to call his friends and family to ask for money. Despite several calls to family and friends, the victim was unable to raise the funds to pay the ransom. At one point, the victim was left unattended in the Moorhead residence and was able to escape. Maez-Schaack and others kept the victim’s vehicle after the kidnapping.

According to statements made in court, Maez-Schaack was a drug distributor for the co-defendant and was often used as the muscle for the drug trafficking organization that primarily distributed methamphetamine in the Red River Valley and Devils Lake area of North Dakota.  

“The drug business is a scourge that often leads to kidnappings and demands for ransoms related to drug debts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This collateral violence threatens the safety of communities. The lengthy sentence captures the seriousness of the drug related conduct in this case and speaks to the collateral ills of the drug trade that ruins the lives of so many Americans.”

“Too often drug trafficking is perpetuated by violent crime, as shown by Maez-Schaack,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Chase for the District of North Dakota. “Our office, working alongside our federal and state partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those committing violent acts and trafficking illegal drugs in our community.”

“Maez-Schaack is a brazen, violent offender who made our communities less safe, and today he receives the consequences for his actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) St. Paul Field Division. “ATF remains committed to identifying and targeting the most violent offenders, and we will continue to do that work every single day. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their collaboration on this case, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their successful prosecution.”

“Stopping violent offenders like Kyle Maez-Schaack is one of the FBI’s top priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “This defendant, a previously convicted felon, kidnapped a victim at gunpoint, demanded ransom of the victim’s friends and family, and trafficked methamphetamine into our community. Now, he will rightly spend the next 30 years of his life in federal prison. The entire Red River Valley and Devil’s Lake communities are safer for that fact. The FBI will not stop in our mission to make our communities safe by bringing violent criminals like Maez-Schaack and his accomplices to justice.”

Maez-Schaack pleaded guilty on Feb. 26 to kidnapping, drug trafficking conspiracy, brandishing a firearm during the kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.   

The FBI and ATF investigated the case.

Bronx Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking More Than 100 Firearms Into New York City

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that EDSON BROWN, a Bronx resident, pled guilty to an 18-count indictment, charging him with crimes in connection with a firearms trafficking scheme spanning more than a year and involving at least two straw purchasers.  BROWN pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan. 

“New Yorkers want criminals who use guns off our streets and, together with the NYPD, the FBI, the ATF, and many others, we are committed to pursuing gun-toting criminals and gun traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “To be clear, gun traffickers are criminals who serve violent criminals—there is no place for them in New York.” 

As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and other public filings in this case:

Between in or about July 2023 and in or about February 2025, BROWN, who lived in the Bronx, traveled to North Carolina and South Carolina more than a dozen times to illegally purchase approximately 118 firearms at gun stores, each of which were federal firearms licensees (“FFLs”) that he then transported back to New York and sold.  BROWN was not allowed to purchase or possess guns because he is a convicted felon. 

BROWN’s illegal purchases were split between North Carolina and South Carolina. BROWN illegally acquired approximately 53 guns in North Carolina that he then transported to New York and sold to others.  Between July and December 2023, BROWN made six trips from New York to North Carolina with a straw purchaser, that is, someone who falsely stated to FFLs that the straw purchaser was buying the guns legally and for his or her own use, but in reality was buying the firearms for BROWN and for the purpose of resale in New York.  BROWN also illegally acquired approximately 65 guns in South Carolina that he then transported to New York and sold to others.  Between October 2023 and February 2025, the defendant worked with a second straw purchaser in South Carolina to acquire those guns.  Sometimes that straw purchaser bought the guns and then transferred them to the defendant.  Other times the defendant traveled to South Carolina from New York, impersonated the straw purchaser himself by using the straw purchaser’s ID to buy the guns, and then transported the guns back to New York himself.

BROWN defaced many of the guns by removing their serial numbers before selling them in New York.  Members of the NYPD have recovered seven of the guns that BROWN trafficked from North Carolina and South Carolina to New York.  Six of those seven guns had obliterated serial numbers that the NYPD firearms lab was able to restore—and thus trace back to BROWN’s purchases in North Carolina and South Carolina.  The remaining firearms that BROWN trafficked have not yet been recovered, or if they have been recovered, members of law enforcement have been unable to trace them because their serial numbers cannot be restored.

BROWN, 37, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to the following 18 crimes, which carry the maximum sentences described in the below chart:

Count(s)	Charge	Maximum Sentence
1	Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms	15 years
2	Firearms Trafficking	15 years
3	Unlicensed Dealing of Firearms	Five years
4-18	Unlicensed Transportation of Firearms	Five years per count

The statutory maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the New York City Police Department.

Governor Hochul Issues Proclamation and Directs State Office Buildings and Landmarks to Illuminate in Celebration of Pride Month

Governor Hochul Directs LGBTQ+ Progress Pride Flags To Be Raised and State Landmarks To Illuminate Across New York State on June 1, Marking Commencement of Pride Month

Issues Proclamation Designating June 2026 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month

Opens Requests For Workshop Proposals For The 2026 LGBTQIA+ Convening

New York City To Host Annual Pride Month March on June 28, One of the Largest Pride Marches and Pride Events in the World

Governor Kathy Hochul issued a proclamation designating June 2026 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the Empire State. The Governor also directed state office buildings and landmarks to illuminate in the colors of the Pride flag and raise LGBTQ+ progress Pride flags today, June 1, to celebrate New York’s LGBTQ+ community and mark the beginning of Pride month. The Pride flag will be raised at the State Capitol, the Empire State Plaza and the Governor’s Executive Mansion.

“As the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, New York has long been at the forefront of advancing equality. During Pride Month, we celebrate New York’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community and acknowledge the importance of protecting the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “This month and every month, we proudly stand with the LGBTQ+ community and remain committed to building a more inclusive and equitable future for all where everyone can live freely with dignity, safety, and respect.”

In honor of Pride Month, the following 16 State landmarks will illuminate various colors of the Pride flag on June 1 and June 23-30, and Capital region landmarks will be lit the weekend of June 12-14:

• One World Trade Center
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• State Education Building
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
• The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• Lake Placid Olympic Center
• MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Moynihan Train Hall
• Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

The Pride flag will be flown at the following State agencies and office buildings throughout New York State:

• New York State Capitol
• Empire State Plaza
• Governor’s Executive Mansion
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• New York State Office of General Services
• New York State Department Of Transportation
• New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities
• New York State Workers' Compensation Board
• Hampton Plaza
• Harriman Campus
• Ten Eyck
• Binghamton State Office Building
• Dulles State Office Building
• Henderson-Smith State Office Building
• State Preparedness Training Center (Oriskany)
• Homer Folks Facility
• Senator John H. Hughes State Office Building
• Utica State Office Building
• Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building
• Eleanor Roosevelt State Office Building
• Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center
• Perry B. Duryea State Office Building

Additionally, Governor Hochul announced that the Pride flag will be flown at the following State parks across New York State:

• Allegany State Park
• Artpark
• Bayard Cutting Arboretum
• Belmont Lake State Park
• Bethpage State Park
• Caleb Smith State Park
• Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
• Clermont State Historic Site
• Connetquot River State Park
• DF Riverbank State Park
• FDR Four Freedoms State Park
• FDR State Park
• Gantry Plaza State Park
• Green Lakes State Park
• Hamlin State Park
• Hempstead Lake State Park
• Hither Hills State Park
• Jones Beach State Park
• Lake Taghkanic State Park
• Letchworth State Park
• Marsha P Johnson State Park
• Mills-Norrie State Park
• Montauk Downs State Park
• Niagara Falls State Park
• Orient Beach State Park
• Philipse Manor Hall
• Planting Fields State Park
• Robert Moses State Park
• Roberto Clemente State Park
• Saratoga Spa State Park
• Shirley Chisholm State Park
• Sunken Meadow State Park
• Taconic State Park State Park
• Valley Stream State Park
• Wellesley Island State Park

New York stands on a strong foundation of LGBTQ+ history and activism against the federal government's efforts to dismantle years of civil rights progress and advocacy.

As a national leader in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, Governor Hochul continues to ensure that New York is a safe and inclusive home for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Since taking office, the Governor has championed legislation to make New York a safe haven for trans youth and signed the Shield Law 2.0 to offer greater protections to healthcare providers and patients receiving gender-affirming healthcare. Most recently, Governor Hochul successfully fought back against the removal of the Pride flag at Stonewall National Park and took additional steps to continue serving young people in New York’s LGBTQ+ community as part of the Enacted FY 2026 Budget.

The Governor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs is now accepting requests for workshop proposals for the 2026 LGBTQIA+ Convening, which will occur on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 in Albany, New York at the Empire State Plaza Concourse. This annual event, entering its fifth year, brings together policymakers and government officials from across state agencies to hear directly from advocates about the most pressing needs for our community and proposed or current efforts to meet those needs and build support.

As the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, New York State extends a year-round invitation to LGBTQ+ travelers through the New York State Division of Tourism at Empire State Development. Created in 2012, the I LOVE NY LGBTQ+ initiative promotes events and destinations across the state, anchoring this season's travel with a statewide calendar of more than 100 Pride celebrations. Find more information, including travel guides and blogs.

New York State remains committed to collaboration with its state and local partners, including community-based organizations, to eliminate health disparities and to protect and promote health and well-being for all New Yorkers, on a foundation of health equity.

To learn more about the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute's Office of LGBTQ Services programs and priorities, visit Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Services. Find more information about the Department's Office of Health Equity and Human Rights.