UPDATE: Not guilty! Sergeant Hugh Barry was acquitted on all counts by Justice Robert A. Neary of New York State Supreme Court. Thank you so much for your support.
On February 15, 2018, Sgt. Hugh Barry of the NYPD was found not guilty on all counts involving the shooting death of a mentally ill Bronx woman.
Sgt. Hugh Barry was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the October 18, 2016 death of Deborah Danner. Barry testified that he feared for his life because Danner had picked up a baseball bat to assault him after he had talked her into putting down a large pair of scissors. Immediately, Mayor Di Blasio of NYC and Police Commissioner O’Neill took the position that Sgt. Barry did not follow his NYPD training in how to deal with a mentally disturbed person . . . This is not so! Sgt. Barry was following his training to the letter. The NYPD sergeant told the court he had no choice but to fire his weapon.
The Judge stated the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Barry intended to kill Danner, who was a violent paranoid schizophrenic. The Judge also said that the prosecution did not prove that he committed a criminal act.
Sgt. Hugh Barry’s Legal Fund was funded by The National Center for Police Defense, Inc., along with The NYPD’s Sergeant’s Benevolent Association and several other charities.
The Board of Directors of The National Center for Police Defense, Inc. is thankful that Sergeant Barry is free to go home with his family and be back on the streets of New York City to protect and serve.