NYPD officer fatally strikes pedestrian on Eastern Parkway
NYPD officer Orkhan Mamedov struck and killed pedestrian Ronald Anthony Smith, 53, in the center median on Eastern Parkway near Schenectady Avenue; the crash record gives the time as 8:07 p.m. on April 7, 2022.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
On April 7, 2022, NYPD officer Orkhan Mamedov was driving west on Eastern Parkway near Schenectady Avenue when he struck pedestrian Ronald Anthony Smith, 53, who was standing on the center median. The official record places the crash at 8:07 p.m. and records one pedestrian death. Witness Dequan Bass told the Daily News that Mamedov was trying to make the light and dragged Smith about 35 feet. Reports differ on where Smith died: Bass described an officer trying to revive him at the scene and said he believed Smith was gone; the Post and ABC reported he was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital. The attorney general's investigators later reported Mamedov reached 45.7 mph in a 25 mph zone but concluded a prosecutor could not prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.
The crash happened near the center median
The crash record places the collision on Eastern Parkway at 8:07 p.m. and records one pedestrian death and no injuries. News reports place it near Schenectady Avenue in Crown Heights and say Smith was standing on the center median.
Witness Dequan Bass told the Daily News that the driver was trying to make the light and dragged Smith about 35 feet. Bass said an officer tried to revive Smith at the scene and that he believed Smith was dead there; the New York Post and ABC reported Smith was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.
His sister pushed back on reports about his life
Later reporting identified the pedestrian as Ronald Anthony Smith, 53. After media accounts described Smith as homeless, J. Floyd contacted Streetsblog, identified herself as his sister and said, “He has family, and he is loved.”
Reports describe different vehicle types
The official crash record lists a 2016 Chevrolet classified as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle, with six occupants. The New York Post describes a marked NYPD van assigned to the 73rd Precinct, carrying two officers and four prisoners.
The official record and state review
The crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. In its later review, the attorney general's office reported that Mamedov reached 45.7 mph on a street with a 25 mph limit, but said prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed a crime.
Investigations and a proposed lawsuit
The Daily News reported in April 2022 that the driver had been placed on modified duty while the state Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation and NYPD units investigated. In May 2023, the Daily News identified the driver as Officer Orkhan Mamedov and reported that the state review would not lead to criminal charges.
In June 2022, Patch reported that lawyers representing Smith's estate sought video, the police van and crash records as they prepared a negligence lawsuit against the city.
Where
EASTERN PARKWAY