Attorney General James Announces Guilty Plea of Former NYPD Officer for Criminally Negligent Homicide and Assault

December 11, 2024

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the guilty plea of former New York City Police Department Officer Tyler Paul, 25, of Queens County, for striking Kawan Edwards while speeding on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens, causing his death. Paul pleaded guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide and Assault in the Second and Third Degrees before Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis in Queens.

Paul will remain out on bail until sentencing on January 23, 2025. For the charge of Criminally Negligent Homicide, he will be sentenced to one to three years in prison; for the charge of Assault in the Second Degree, he will be sentenced to three and a half years in prison with three years of post-release supervision; and for the charge of Assault in the Third Degree, he will be sentenced to 364 days in prison. The sentences will run concurrently, and Paul has waived his right to appeal.

On the morning of April 26, 2023, Paul was off-duty and speeding in his personal car on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens. As he made a lane change from left to right, without signaling and while driving in between lanes, Paul struck a vehicle in the right lane. The collision caused Paul to lose control of his vehicle, which then skidded at a high speed into Mr. Edwards, who was working as a contractor for the Department of Transportation and standing on the shoulder of the road putting up construction signs. Mr. Edwards was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI's assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.