Remembering
DJ Henry Jr.
What Happened?
On October 17th, 2010, Pace University football player Danroy “DJ” Henry went out to celebrate the homecoming football game he had just played. As he and two other students waited outside for his friends in a parked vehicle, a Pleasantville Police officer asked him to move. Rather than allowing DJ to comply with the order, another officer, Aaron Hess, moved in front of the car with his gun drawn and shot DJ without warning. He then mounted the hood and shot into the windshield multiple times. DJ was then dragged the car, handcuffed him, and left to die alone on the concrete. DJ was 20 years old.
Eyewitness testimony from bystanders, DJ’s friends Brandon Cox and Desmond Hinds who were also in the car, and Mount Pleasant Police officer Ronald Beckley contradict Hess’s claims that DJ drove towards him or endangered him in any way. Additionally, DJ’s friend Daniel Parker who had CPR training attempted to save DJ but was blocked by police. DJ would not receive any medical attention for at least 10 minutes. Police dashcam footage shows DJ lying injured and dying in the road.
2020 MARKED 10 YEARS WITHOUT JUSTICE FOR DJ. THE OFFICER THAT MURDERED HIM FACED NO CHARGES AND EVEN RECEIVED AN AWARD AFTER THE FACT, DESPITE TESTIMONY FROM ANOTHER OFFICER THAT HE WAS ACTING AGGRESSIVELY TOWARDS DJ.
Officer Aaron Hess and Pleasantville Police Chief Louis Algano both claimed that DJ drove towards officer Hess, causing Hess and another officer, Ronald Beckley, to shoot at DJ. However, officer Beckley refuted these claims. Beckley stated that he was shooting at Aaron Hess, the clear “aggressor,” and attempting to stop what he saw as an attack on DJ. Beckley has stated that he was trained to fire on someone who was using deadly force—and that that person was Aaron Hess.
Officer Hess has since stated that he could have moved out of the way of DJ’s vehicle. The town of Mount Pleasant even issued an official statement apologizing for Chief Algano’s account of the case and “the misimpression of DJ” that it caused.
Despite all of the evidence that DJ was murdered in cold blood by former officer Aaron Hess, an investigation by the Westchester County District Attorney’s office in 2011 did not result in any charges. One of the Lieutenants involved in the investigation, Brian Fanelli, has revealed discrepancies in his testimony that point to evidence tampering. Fanelli has since been arrested on child pornography charges. Aaron Hess went on to receive an award for Officer of the Year. On the other hand, Officer Beckley who identified Hess as the aggressor was denied a higher pension and retired just weeks after the shooting citing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Information from justicefordjhenry.org
How is Pace Remembering DJ Henry?
In 2020, the university established social justice week. From October 24th to October 29th, each year Pace will show our commitment to anti-racism through education and activism, in honor of the loss of DJ Henry. During the inaugural social justice week, there was a screening and discussion of the 48 Hours segment, “The Story of DJ Henry” as well as a campus rally on October 29—DJ Henry’s birthday. Pace also retired his No. 12 jersey and the clock tower at Goldstein Fitness Center is named for Henry.
In 2021, to celebrate the second annual social justice week, a mural in DJ Henry’s honor (pictured above) was unveiled on the Pleasantville campus.
In remarks at the mural unveiling, President Marvin Krislov thanked students who led this project for their hard work, their dedication to DJ Henry’s legacy, and their commitment to the Pace community. “What happened to DJ Henry was an unforgettable, unforgivable tragedy. But his legacy lives on,” said President Krislov. “It lives on in his legacy of kindness and commitment. It lives on in the efforts of our students to ensure he is commemorated. It lives on our important Social Justice Week of programming. It lives on in our commitment to justice, progress, and anti-racism. And lives on in this beautiful mural.”
This initiative was primarily student-driven, from advocating for the mural, selecting the artist, securing funding from Student Government Association, and contributing ideas for the artwork. “DJ’s mural is a lasting legacy that represents not only him, but the countless amount of black people who have lost their lives through police brutality over the years,” said Student Government Association President Kimberly Mars, a junior from Jersey City, N.J. “DJ’s story acts as a reminder of the work that we have to do in this country and the commitment that we all should make to continue to push for social justice. The fight for equality is not over but this is a reminder that we are making progress toward change.”
In 2022, social justice week continued to memorialize DJ with the launch of this website and the COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter Movement oral history is conducted in his honor.