Attorney general investigates fatal shooting by Nassau police in Massapequa

The New York attorney general has launched an investigation into the fatal police shooting of a Queens man in Nassau County following a vehicle pursuit last week, the AG’s office announced Wednesday.

Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI), which probes all deaths caused by police in New York State, is investigating the death of Jeremy L. Bennett, who died on Saturday following a late night encounter Friday with Nassau County Police in Massapequa.

According to a statement announcing the investigation, officers from the NYPD, Nassau County Police Department and the Freeport Police Department pursued Bennett’s vehicle — first in Queens and then in Nassau County.

The attorney general's statement sheds some new light on the shooting, the details of which have not been released by police. They have declined to detail how many officers fired their service weapons and what occurred immediately before Bennett was shot.

"The pursuit ended when Mr. Bennett’s car came to a stop on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa," the AG’s office said in a preliminary description of what occurred. "During the ensuing encounter, officers discharged their service weapons, striking Mr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead."

Nassau County police on Tuesday released the name of the man killed, identifying him as Bennett, 37, of Jamaica, Queens.

Bennett's family could not be reached for comment.

The NYPD said the vehicle Bennett was driving fled from the traffic stop "at a high rate of speed" after 11 p.m. Friday. The NYPD terminated its attempt to apprehend the driver. The reason that NYPD officers initially attempted to stop Bennett was not disclosed.

In comments made the day after Friday's shooting, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the vehicle driven by Bennett "jumped onto oncoming traffic on Sunrise Highway."

Ryder said of Bennett: "He’s ramming police cars. He’s ramming civilian cars and he lost control of his own vehicle."

Ryder has said there was body camera footage of the incident, which has not been released.

Nassau police pursued Bennett's vehicle, which police said struck or almost struck civilian and police cars, as well as several people. As a result, eight people were hospitalized, including five Nassau officers, two NYPD officers and one civilian. They all had minor injuries, police said.

Asked what prompted the officers to open fire, Ryder would only say that "officers attempted to get that individual out of the car, a shooting occurred and the individual has died."

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.