The Roc Nation mogul and a number of celebrities have signed an open letter urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the 2010 death of Danroy 'DJ' Henry, Jr.
- July 20, 2020
AceShowbiz - Stars including Jay-Z and Rihanna are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the 2010 death of Danroy 'DJ' Henry, Jr.
The 20-year-old black college football player was fatally shot by a white police officer in New York as he drove through a parking lot, away from a disturbance that spilled out of a bar in Mount Pleasant, a New York City suburb.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, the stars state that the late Easton, Massachusetts resident "lost his life for no good reason and with absolutely no good explanation."
They insist the case is still an "unhealed wound" for both Henry's family and the people of New York, adding that the facts of the case "reek of local conflict of interest, racial bias and even false testimony."
"The DOJ must truthfully determine whether a pattern and/or practice of discrimination played a role in the case of DJ Henry - and if it did - deliver the justice that restores this young man's name and reputation, while giving hope to other young black men who are just like him and desperate for change," they wrote.
Pharrell Williams, Charlize Theron, Taraji P. Henson, Odell Beckham, Jr., Michael K. Williams, Kerry Washington, Mary J. Blige, and Gabrielle Union have also signed the letter.
In 2015, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced that they would not bring civil rights charges, saying a thorough review of evidence did not show that Pleasantville officer Aaron Hess acted with deliberate and specific intent to break the law.
Hess was previously cleared by a grand jury.
