New York State Attorney General Letitia James has determined that two New York Police Department officers acted lawfully in the fatal shooting of an armed murder suspect during a high-speed chase in Brooklyn in late 2024. The announcement was made on Wednesday following an investigation by the Office of Special Investigation.

The incident occurred on December 5, 2024, when officers pursued a vehicle connected to a recent homicide. The 21-year-old suspect, Christopher Ferguson, was wanted in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old man in East New York. Law enforcement was alerted after gunfire was detected near the Whitman Houses in Fort Greene by a ShotSpotter device around 3 p.m. that day.

According to police reports, Ferguson was reportedly a passenger in a Honda that fled the scene at high speed. His 23-year-old girlfriend, who was driving the vehicle, accelerated abruptly with their 3-year-old daughter in the back seat. The chase continued eastward into Bedford-Stuyvesant, during which the vehicle allegedly ran multiple red lights before crashing into a double-parked black Mercedes on Utica Avenue near Park Place.

Officers pursued on foot with weapons drawn, ordering Ferguson and the driver to exit the car with their hands visible. Attempting to exit through the passenger side, Ferguson was trapped by the wedged door against the parked Mercedes. At that point, he reportedly pointed a handgun at the officers, who responded by firing up to 19 shots.

During the confrontation, Ferguson’s girlfriend attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended after sustaining two gunshot wounds to her right thigh. All three individuals—the suspect, the girlfriend, and the child—were transported to Kings County Hospital. Ferguson later succumbed to his injuries.

The Attorney General’s office concluded the officers involved bore no criminal responsibility in the shooting, citing the threat posed when Ferguson allegedly aimed a firearm at them. The investigation focused on whether the use of lethal force was justified given the circumstances of the pursuit and Ferguson’s actions at the scene.

No further charges were filed against the officers, and the case has been closed following the announcement.