New York's attorney general has released security-camera footage as investigators examine the death of Hilton Spokony after a June crash involving an off-duty Suffolk County police officer.
Spokony died June 12 after a collision at Waverly Avenue and Buckley Road in Patchogue, according to Attorney General Letitia James' office. The Office of Special Investigation released footage from three cameras as part of its ongoing inquiry.
The office said an off-duty officer was driving a personal vehicle shortly after 10 p.m. when it struck a car that had turned left across Waverly Avenue onto Buckley Road. Spokony was a passenger in the second car.
The officer and the other vehicle's driver were treated at a hospital for injuries described as non-life-threatening and released. Spokony was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The footage release follows James' directive to make camera recordings obtained during such investigations public to increase transparency. The office warned that the videos contain disturbing content.
Under state Executive Law Section 70-b, the Office of Special Investigation assesses incidents in which a police or peace officer may have caused someone's death through an act or omission. The law applies to on-duty and off-duty officers, including corrections officers, and to people who may be armed or unarmed and in or out of custody.
When an assessment indicates an officer may have caused a death, the office conducts a full investigation.
The attorney general's office said releasing the footage expresses no opinion about guilt or innocence, or whether anyone may be charged.
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