Zongo case slated for late summer: NY Cop to face New Trial in Police Killing of Unarmed African Man

A preliminary court date for the officer charged in the shooting death of a West African immigrant has been set for May 5, according to attorney Sanford Rubenstein. Rubenstein, the lawyer representing the family of Ousmane Zongo, who was killed by Officer Bryan Conroy during a raid at a Chelsea warehouse two years ago, told the Amsterdam News that the officer will probably go on trial in the late summer. Conroy’s first trial ended when the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and Judge Daniel Sullivan declared a mistrial. “In all likelihood the trial will take place in the late summer pending the availability of witnesses,” Rubenstein explained. “We have also been informed that Ousmane’s widow, Salimata Sanfo, and his brother will return from Burkina Faso for the trial.” At the end of the first trial that was conducted in the State Supreme Court, the prosecution promised that the officer would be retried. “They were obligated to set another trial,” Rubenstein said at that time. No matter the outcome of a second trial, the lawyer said the family would pursue a $150 million federal lawsuit against the city and Officer Conroy. [more]