Nationwide — The NYPD has apologized for falsely accusing Camden Lee, a 15-year-old teen from Brooklyn, of a fatal shooting at a parade in September, admitting the mistake months later after the teen received death threats and public outrage followed.
While the NYPD deleted the social media posts, they did not publicly retract the accusation until five months later. Only after media coverage brought attention to the situation did police issue a statement admitting the mistake.
“The NYPD should have immediately corrected this misstatement,” said spokesperson Delaney Kempner. The apology came as part of the department’s broader effort to rebuild public trust following recent criticism of its social media practices.
Lee’s family expressed disappointment with the delayed response. Their attorney, Wylie Stecklow, said the apology still fell short of full accountability. He said, “Even in their apology, they’re painting him with a brush of culpability to cover their mistake. They’re downplaying what they did and not owning up to the fact that they put him in harm’s way.”
Lee’s mother, Chee Chee Brock, also criticized the NYPD for not issuing the apology sooner and questioned why the family had never received a direct apology from the police.
“This could’ve been done in September after we had the meeting,” Brock said. “They don’t understand the damage that it caused.”
Meanwhile, the shooting remains unsolved. Lee said he had attended the parade with a teammate after football practice. When the shooting happened, he was among the crowd but was not involved. After the initial social media posts, homicide detectives questioned Lee but confirmed he was not a suspect.
“It takes me to a dark place,” Lee said. “I don’t feel like myself anymore. I don’t have the opportunity to explain my side of the story. Everyone is so fixed on this one image of me: murderer.”