On the evening of September 5, 2011, 56-year-old retired home health aide Denise Gay was sitting on her Crown Heights stoop with her niece when a nearby dispute escalated into gunfire. A stray bullet struck Gay in the head and she was killed instantly as bystanders and residents reeled from the violence following the West Indian Day Parade.

The broader confrontation began when a man, Leroy Webster, shot and killed another man, Eusi Johnson. As Webster fled, he exchanged gunfire with responding police officers; officers fired a reported 73 shots in the area. Ballistics later showed the fatal bullet that struck Gay did not come from Webster’s weapon, and evidence indicated the shot likely originated from police gunfire. Webster was arrested and later convicted on charges including the murder of Eusi Johnson, but was acquitted of depraved indifference murder in connection with Gay’s death. Gay’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the NYPD; Gay’s daughter was later paid a $100,000 settlement after being detained and questioned for over 12 hours following the shooting.

Does anyone have recollections of that night in Crown Heights or information that could shed light on officer fire and crowd safety during the incident?