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John Nuthall
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After the parole of yet another cold-blooded cop-killer, the PBA is demanding to know whether the COVID-19 pandemic illegally factored into the parole decision.
The New York State Parole Board announced last week that it would release Steven Chirse, who shot 84 Pct. P.O. Angelo Brown three times in the neck during an off-duty robbery in 1984. Chirse’s parole follows the release of inmates from jails across the state, allegedly to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
PBA President Patrick J. Lynch said:
“Criminals and their activist allies have wasted no time exploiting this crisis. Vicious murders and robbers, who didn’t think twice before harming innocent New Yorkers, now suddenly claim to fear for their own safety. Our justice system is falling for their crocodile tears. The parole board has shown time and again that it cares more about criminals than crime victims. They need to explain whether they are also using the pandemic to justify releasing cop-killers. If they are, they’re breaking the law.”
In a letter emailed this week to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, PBA-provided attorneys representing the families of murdered police officers demanded confirmation that the COVID-19 pandemic was not factored into Chirse’s release or any other parole decision, which can only be based on specific criteria set forth in state law. Read a copy of the letter.
On Jan 31, 1984, P.O. Brown was off-duty and walking to his home in Bedford-Stuyvesant when he slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk. Chirse and an accomplice, Ronald Bush, were driving by when they spotted P.O. Brown’s firearm. They exited the vehicle and attacked P.O. Brown while he was on the ground, stealing the gun and cash. P.O. Brown attempted to stop the duo by diving on the hood of their car as they drove off. After P.O. Brown was thrown from the hood, Chirse exited the vehicle again and shot him in the neck three times, killing him.
Chirse is scheduled to be released from prison on May 4, 2020.