Updated at 5:30 p.m.
Body-cam video from Curtis Riker, the arresting officer in the case of Tomira Wright, reveals little about the final minutes before the death of the Fort Greene resident last year.
Until the trial started, the only thing known was that two bystanders saw a male and female arguing on the street and watching as Wright was slapped, then shot to death by police.
Just before 10:50 p.m. on April 10, 2018, one witness called 911 and another stood nearby, reported seeing a male and female arguing, said they saw a gun and then saw Wright was hit by the male suspect who was inside a late-model silver car parked nearby, according to an arrest warrant.
Just before 10:50 p.m., a police officer spotted Wright and stopped her. A witness reported seeing the officer speak with Wright, and then that Wright tried to “kick out the window, screaming and yelling,” the warrant said.
Shortly after, a bystander told police he saw two male suspects arguing, and a woman standing nearby yell “stop it” and “scream you f—ing stole my purse” and “he hurt her,” the warrant said.
Fort Greene resident Riker came upon the scene, pursued Wright and then tackled her, according to the warrant. As they struggled, Wright hit Riker in the head with her handbag, the warrant said. Riker tried to hold on to Wright, then whipped her across the head and knocked her onto the sidewalk, the warrant said.
A witness told police Riker had slammed Wright’s head onto the sidewalk. Riker tried to put a Taser on Wright and tried to subdue her, then came close to losing his temper, the warrant said.
Moments later, the witness told police, Riker retrieved a gun from inside the car, pointed it at Wright and said “shoo,” then fired several times.
A witness reported seeing a person in a dark hoodie near the scene of the shooting, and police said a hoodie with the letters “KES” was found near Wright’s body. Police later found a 9mm handgun inside the car with Wright’s name and address printed on the inside, police said.
During his testimony on Monday, Riker said there was a 7-Eleven across the street from where he encountered Wright and a man yelled for him to stop, according to the arrest warrant. The officer said he saw Wright, 30, cursing at two men who were waiting outside the store and a group of people stood nearby, according to the warrant.
Riker testified that he tried to move past the crowd, but Wright grabbed him by the shirt and head and began to knock his head back, according to the warrant. Riker testified Wright then tried to kick out the window but he was able to stop her before she could do so, the warrant said.
After Wright’s death, Police Commissioner Peter DeBlasio and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced changes to how officers have access to cameras on body-worn cameras, including limiting the use of the cameras to responding officers on calls involving people who are handcuffed.
Riker’s attorney, Jarrod Postman, declined to comment. Both Riker and the male suspect are charged with first-degree murder, and the female suspect is charged with first-degree assault and fourth-degree conspiracy.
An attorney for the female suspect said she, too, witnessed the incident, but denied seeing Wright hit Riker with her handbag, according to court records. The woman, who is expected to testify in the trial, has pleaded not guilty.
Justice Theron R. Darden Jr. on Monday afternoon began the trial against Riker, who could receive the death penalty if convicted.