Cop & Police Union Make Desperate Attempt to Block Upcoming Discipline Trial for Officer who Killed Delrawn Small

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Media Contact: 

Tess Weiner, tess@justicecommittee.org, 224-213-5495

Cop & Police Union Make Desperate Attempt to Block Upcoming Discipline Trial for Officer who Killed Delrawn Small

After almost a decade of obstruction, Small’s family and advocates call on Commissioner Tisch to reject shameful delay tactic, that was already rejected by a prior commissioner

In a meeting with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the family of Delrawn Small was notified that Officer Wayne Isaacs’ police union lawyers requested for Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to block the CCRB from prosecuting Isaacs at his long-awaited discipline trial, scheduled to begin on November 19th. This is the latest maneuver in a years-long pattern of obstruction designed to shield officer Isaacs from discipline after he shot and killed Delrawn Small in front of his 4-month-old baby and teen stepdaughter in July 2016.

In response, Victoria Davis (she/her) and Victor Dempsey (he/him), the sister and brother of Delrawn Small, issued the following statement:

“We are absolutely disgusted by NYPD Officer Wayne Isaacs and his police union’s outrageous ploy to delay and evade discipline for taking Delrawn’s life. For over 9 years, while grieving our brother, we have been forced to fight against Isaac’s cruel and disrespectful efforts to delay and obstruct justice at every turn. The NYPD had 9 years to discipline Isaacs and refused, instead allowing Isaacs time to secure his pension. It was the CCRB that brought fireable misconduct charges and it is the CCRB that should be allowed to prosecute Isaacs. Isaacs' most recent request was tried in 2022, which then-Commissioner Sewell rightly rejected. Commissioner Tisch must follow suit: reject this request, let the CCRB’s prosecution of Isaacs move forward, and ensure Isaacs’ discipline trial commences this November as scheduled. 

It shouldn’t take almost a decade to discipline an officer who shot and killed an unarmed New Yorker, left him to die in the street, and then lied about it - an officer who was then indicted and prosecuted for murder. The NYPD’s culture of impunity has protected Isaacs and abusive officers like him for far too long. Commissioner Tisch has the chance to show her promises of reform are not just empty words by ensuring the CCRB prosecution of Isaacs in November without further delay.”

Loyda Colón, the Executive Director of Justice Committee, shared: “For almost a decade, Delrawn Small’s family and New Yorkers have endured regurgitated reform rhetoric of two mayors and seven police commissioners, while NYPD misconduct continues to rise and the Department and police union shamelessly work to protect a cop that shot an unarmed New Yorker three times in front of his 4-month-old baby. After over nine years, one must question why Isaacs and his attorneys are so afraid of the November trial. Commissioner Tisch, show New Yorkers that you are capable of prioritizing their safety, by rejecting Isaacs and his attorneys’ desperate attempt at obstruction and allowing the CCRB to finally prosecute Isaacs in November. Anything less sends the message that the NYPD will always put the interests of violent officers above the lives of the New Yorkers.”

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BACKGROUND: 

On July 4, 2016 Officer Wayne Isaacs shot and killed Delrawn Small in front of his four-month-old son, step-daughter and girlfriend. Isaacs had been driving erratically down Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn and had cut Mr. Small’s car off several times. When Mr. Small approached Isaacs’ car, Isaacs - who was off duty at the time - rolled down his window, shot Mr. Small three times and then left him to bleed out in the street without offering any aid, all in plain view of Mr. Small’s family. Mr. Small was 37-years-old and unarmed.

Officer Isaacs was charged and prosecuted for murder by the NYS Attorney General’s office in the first case the office prosecuted after Governor Cuomo's 2015 executive order authorizing the AG to investigate police killings. The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) substantiated fireable misconduct charges against Officer Isaacs in October 2020, but the NYPD delayed serving the charges for almost a year. In October 2021, the CCRB filed a motion to unseal Isaacs’ murder trial records. In February 2022, the New York State Supreme Court Judge Verna L. Saunders dismissed NYPD Officer Wayne Isaacs’ Article 78 lawsuit, the police union’s baseless attempt to block his long-delayed discipline trial. In March 2023, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun finally ruled in favor of the CCRB’s unsealing motion, but Isaacs’ attorneys immediately appealed the decision. Oral arguments on the appeal were held in November 2024. In March 2025, the Supreme Court Second Appellate Division ruled in favor of the police union’s appeal. In September 2025, a discipline trial was scheduled for November 19. In response, Isaacs and his police union attorneys once again requested the NYPD Commissioner to invoke provision 2 to block the CCRB’s prosecution of the case and to delay the disciplinary trial.

Officer Isaacs killed Mr. Small just one day before Alton Sterling was killed by police in Louisiana and two days prior to Philando Castile being killed by police in Minnesota. Officers in both cases are no longer with their respective police departments, while the NYPD still employs Isaacs.

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About Justice Committee:

Since the 1980s, the Justice Committee (JC) has been dedicated to building a movement against police violence and systemic racism in New York City. The heart of our work is organizing and uplifting the leadership of families who have lost loved ones to the police and survivors of police violence.  We empower our community to deter police violence, hold law enforcement accountable, and build people-led community safety through grassroots organizing campaigns, community empowerment, political education, our CopWatch program, and by developing safety mechanisms and projects that decrease reliance on police. By building solidarity with other anti-racist, immigrant and people of color-led organizations, the Justice Committee seeks to contribute to a broad-based movement for racial, social, and economic justice.