Deborah J. Danner, 66, was killed inside her Bronx apartment on October 18, 2016, after police were called about erratic behavior. Danner, who lived with schizophrenia and had a history of mental health crises, was found in her bedroom holding scissors. Reports say Sergeant Hugh Barry convinced her to drop the scissors, but she then picked up a baseball bat and, according to police, attempted to swing it at him. Sgt. Barry shot her twice; Danner was taken to Jacobi Hospital and pronounced dead.

The shooting prompted immediate controversy and official criticism. Sgt. Barry was placed on modified duty and later suspended; in May 2017 he was charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide, with prosecutors saying he did not follow NYPD protocol for handling mentally ill people. His defense argued he feared for his life and acted in a split-second decision. The judge acquitted him at a bench trial in February 2018.