Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. family files $21M federal lawsuit

The family of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. filed a $21 million federal lawsuit today against White Plains, the city police department, the White Plains Housing Authority and eight police officers involved in the 68-year-old retired correction officer's shooting death on Nov. 19.

"My family and I didn't ask for any of this," Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. said of his father's death at a news conference outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse. "If I could turn back the hands of time and have my father back with me now, that would be the best thing for all of us."

The suit was filed two months after a Westchester grand jury voted not to bring criminal charges against any of the police who responded to Chamberlain Sr.'s 135 S. Lexington Ave. apartment in the Winbrook public housing complex, on a medical alert.

According to the lawsuit, the officers of taunted Chamberlain and banged on his door for more than hour, during which at least one of them, Officer Steven Hart, called Chamberlain the n-word. By the time police finally entered the apartment, Chamberlain, who had been drinking, was suffering from "delusions and hallucinations," according to the suit.

"Mr. Chamberlain Sr. called out to God to protect him and begged Life Aid to continue recording because he believed the police were going to kill him," Randolph McLaughlin, one of the family's attorneys, wrote in the suit.

Police then broke through the door, shooting Chamberlain with a Taser before firing bean bags from a shotgun at him, felling Chamberlain. Officer Anthony Carelli then fired a single fatal shot that passed through Chamberlain's lungs, spine and ribs.

"They murdered my father," Chamberlain Jr. said after the news conference.

City officials had no comment.

Chamberlain Jr. and his lawyers showed up at the White Plain Common Council meeting tonight to again urge Mayor Thomas Roach to call on Public Safety Commissioner David Chong to suspend the officers involved in the shooting.

Noting that he made a similar request at a meeting earlier this year, Chamberlain said, "We don't believe that's happened."