ALBANY, NY – Earlier today, without admitting liability, the City of Albany and representatives of Ellazar Williams formally filed an agreement with the U.S. District Court to the immediately withdraw the pending civil rights case brought by
Williams. Below is a statement from Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Police Chief Eric Hawkins regarding the agreement:
“On August 20, 2018, Jay Olsen, Lawrence Heid, and Chris Cornell did exactly what we trained them to do - respond to a 911 call for an individual with a gun - and we commend them for their service to our city.
"We hope both the grand jury's decision in 2018 clearing Detective Olsen of any criminal wrongdoing and the withdrawal of this civil rights case brings these three decorated law enforcement officials, their families, and the Albany Police Department as a whole the closure necessary to move beyond defending their actions on that day."