“First and foremost, there is no question that Shane Rhooms did not commit any crime. He is an innocent man who may have spent his life in prison but for an airtight alibi placing him in Manhattan when this crime occurred in Brooklyn. All charges against him have been dismissed and sealed. Any public statements from Commissioner Kelly or the NYPD to the contrary are further slandering this innocent young man.

“We are extremely concerned with the NYPD’s posture that the officers and investigators remain confident that Mr. Rhooms was involved in this crime. This position confirms that the Blue Wall is alive and well at all levels of the NYPD and should be of great concern to all citizens.

“This Police Department must move forward in the right direction to ensure that justice prevails for all New Yorkers. The NYPD must make prompt efforts to arrest and prosecute the man who opened fire on uniformed officers on a public street. Equally important, officials must diligently probe the officers involved in this false identification to prevent this from happening again. Swift action must be taken against any officers involved in falsely accusing Mr. Rhooms to send the message that police officers are not above the law and to acknowledge that injustices of this magnitude will not be tolerated in this City.”