New York Attorney General Letitia James will not pursue criminal charges against two police officers who shot and killed a man last summer in southwest Rochester.
The agency's Office of Special Investigation released its report Friday on the death of 38-year-old Akintunde Campbell during his encounter with the officers on July 31, 2025.
"Given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officers’ use of deadly physical force against Mr. Campbell was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter," according to a news release from the Attorney General's Office.
The office reviews all officer-involved shootings in the state and its conclusion, while wordy, is its standard way of saying a shooting appears justified under the law.
Rochester police have said that the officers responded to Ernestine Street after 911 received three calls about a man acting suspiciously in the area.
Body-worn camera video at one point shows Campbell removing a handgun from his sweatshirt pocket then holding it pointed downward as officers shout for him to "put it down now."
The officers repeat commands in rapid succession but Campbell doesn't move. He does not appear to raise the weapon and does not fire a shot. Less than five seconds after Campbell displayed the gun, the officers fired at least a dozen rounds at him.
Campbell was struck in the chest and died.
