Hempstead man sues police over shooting

A $5 million federal lawsuit has been filed against Hempstead village and its police department by Patrick Alexis, a Hempstead resident who was shot by police during a confrontation last March The complaint, filed on Jan. 22, alleges that there was “excessive and unreasonable” force used by police officers when they both shot and tased him when responding to a 911 call at Alexis’ Washington Street apartment.

In the lawsuit, Alexis, 32, is seeking $1 million in actual damages, $3 million in punitive damages, and an additional $1 million for his attorney’s fees.

According to police, the incident in March 2023 unfolded when officers from the Hempstead Police Department were dispatched to Alexis’ apartment at 330 Washington St. just before 5 a.m. Police were responding to multiple 911 calls made of a “violent individual” inside the apartment complex “yelling.” According to police, when officers arrived and confronted the 31-year-old, he allegedly claimed to have both a knife and gun on him and was threatening to shoot at the officers.

Police say Alexis then opened his apartment door holding a knife, and reportedly “menaced the officers” by moving towards them threateningly with a knife visible, leading to one of them quickly drawing their Taser and shooting it at Alexis, which according to the officers, was “ineffective” against Alexis since they missed the shot.

With Alexis still supposedly armed and moving closer to the officers in a threatening manner, one of the officers then pulled his firearm from the side of his belt and shot at Alexis, striking him once in the upper chest, according to the police report.

After surviving the gunshot, Alexis was initially facing multiple charges, including menacing a police officer, criminal mischief, and possession of a dangerous weapon. He later admitted to the single menacing charge and pleaded guilty in June, receiving a three-year probation sentence.

However, in his civil complaint, Alexis argues that his constitutional rights were violated, asserting he has the right to “freedom from assault, battery, and inhumane punishment” from the alleged use of “excessive and unreasonable force” by the police.

He continues it was “an excessive and unreasonable use of physical force” that violated his Constitutional right to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment,” according to his legal complaint.

State Attorney General Letitia James’ Office, responsible for keeping and maintaining a statewide database of police shootings, recently closed its investigation into the incident, but there is no further information available at this time.

Woodbury attorney Martin Ginsberg, representing Alexis, filed the complaint, which contends that the defendants subjected Alexis to deprivation maliciously, recklessly, or with deliberate indifference to his rights.

The lawsuit places the actions of the Hempstead Police Department under legal scrutiny, seeking resolutions for the alleged violations of Alexis’ constitutional rights during the March confrontation.

The recent lawsuit against a Long Island police department for excessive force is not an isolated event. In 2017, a significant legal victory happened here in Nassau when a family from nearby Roosevelt was awarded $8 million.

Their case surrounded an incident when the family dialed 911 for assistance with an adult in the home who suffers from bipolar disorder. But things escalated when the responding officers used a stun gun to subdue him.

Hempstead village and police officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.