Chamberlain's
son, feds attend closed-door meeting
June 20, 2012 BY TIMOTHY O'CONNOR
The son of a 68-year-old man shot dead by White Plains police and family lawyers met Wednesday with members of the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who has promised a review of the case.
Lawyers for the family of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. said both sides agreed not to disclose what was discussed at the meeting in Manhattan.
"We agreed not to discuss the nature of the meeting, the content of the meeting, who was at the meeting," said Randolph McLaughlin, a lawyer with the firm Newman Ferrara LLP. He attended the meeting along with Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. and family lawyer Mayo Bartlett.
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McLaughlin declined to say whether representatives from other federal agencies were also at the meeting.
A spokesman for Bharara did not return a call late Wednesday seeking comment.
Federal prosecutors announced May 4 they would review the Nov. 19, 2011, shooting of Chamberlain to determine whether to open a civil rights investigation.
On May 3, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced that a county grand jury had voted not to indict Officer Anthony Carelli, the officer who shot Chamberlain.
The family has said it plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the City of White Plains and Carelli. The white police officer killed 68-year-old Chamberlain, an African-American, after a two-hour standoff at Chamberlain's White Plains apartment. It is anticipated that a federal civil rights suit will be filed within the next few weeks by Kenneth Chamberlain Jr.
Lawyers for the Chamberlain family immediately called not just for a federal investigation of the incident but a probe into whether the city's police force had a "pattern and practice of violating the civil rights of minorities and people of color."
"The file is now open," McLaughlin said Wednesday night, declining to comment further.
Federal prosecutors said in a statement released last month they would examine "evidence collected during the state's investigation to determine whether there were any violations of the federal criminal civil rights law."
The lawyer for Carelli said he shot Chamberlain Sr. to save the life of White Plains police Sgt. Keith Martin. Police said Chamberlain Sr. was advancing at Martin with a knife following a two-hour standoff at his apartment door in the Winbrook housing project.
McLaughlin declined to say whether the family planned any more meetings with federal prosecutors.
But he said he was confident federal prosecutors would conduct a full review of the case.
"The same kind of concerns that are present with the Westchester County district attorney investigating members of police agencies they regularly work with are not present when you're dealing with the U.S. attorney's office," McLaughlin said. "They do that regularly."
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Inquiries about this case may be directed to Newman Ferrara attorney, Professor Randolph McLaughlin, at 212-619-5400.