Randolph Evans
Encyclopedia
Randolph Evans was a 15-year old Brooklyn
boy who was shot and killed by NYPD officer Robert Torsney on November 26, 1976. Evans was a ninth-grader at Franklin K. Lane High School
in Brooklyn at the time of the shooting.
1976, responding to a report of a man with a gun in the Cypress Hills housing projects, Officer Torsney encountered a group of youths. After a brief conversation, Torsney shot one of them, Evans, point-blank in the head. He then ran to his car and drove back to the 75th precinct where he was arrested.
on charges of second-degree murder. At the trial of Torsney, which began in October, 1977, his defense maintained that the killing resulted from a psychotic episode due to an epileptic condition. Torsney's attorney maintained this illness was the automatism of Penfield
, named for neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield. On November 30, 1977, one year after Evans' funeral, Torsney was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Torsney was remanded to a state mental hospital
.
in his New York Times column after the shooting of Sean Bell which took place exactly 30 years to the day after the killing of Evans.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
boy who was shot and killed by NYPD officer Robert Torsney on November 26, 1976. Evans was a ninth-grader at Franklin K. Lane High School
Franklin K. Lane High School
Franklin K. Lane High School is a public high school in New York City, United States. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education as H.S. 420.-Location:...
in Brooklyn at the time of the shooting.
Shooting
On Thanksgiving DayThanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
1976, responding to a report of a man with a gun in the Cypress Hills housing projects, Officer Torsney encountered a group of youths. After a brief conversation, Torsney shot one of them, Evans, point-blank in the head. He then ran to his car and drove back to the 75th precinct where he was arrested.
Legal proceedings
On the day of Evans' funeral, Torsney was indicted by a grand juryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on charges of second-degree murder. At the trial of Torsney, which began in October, 1977, his defense maintained that the killing resulted from a psychotic episode due to an epileptic condition. Torsney's attorney maintained this illness was the automatism of Penfield
Wilder Penfield
Wilder Graves Penfield, OM, CC, CMG, FRS was an American born Canadian neurosurgeon. During his life he was called "the greatest living Canadian"...
, named for neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield. On November 30, 1977, one year after Evans' funeral, Torsney was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Torsney was remanded to a state mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
.
Torsney's release and aftermath
On December 20, 1978, a Brooklyn State Supreme Court ordered Torsney's release, stating he no longer posed a threat to society. The Torsney case was mentioned by Bob HerbertBob Herbert
Robert “Bob” Herbert is an American journalist op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times. His column was syndicated to other newspapers around the country. Herbert frequently writes on poverty, the Iraq war, racism and American political apathy towards race issues...
in his New York Times column after the shooting of Sean Bell which took place exactly 30 years to the day after the killing of Evans.