NYC correction officer cleared in fatal shooting of teen who toted a fake gun

An off-duty correction officer who shot and killed a teenager playing with a fake gun is not guilty of manslaughter or second-degree murder, a Bronx jury decided Thursday after less than two days of deliberation.

Dion Middleton shot 18-year-old Raymond Chaluisant in the face, around 1 a.m. on July 21, 2022, after Chaluisant struck Middleton with a gel bead fired from a fake gun. The acquittal concluded a weeks-long trial prosecuted by the New York attorney general’s office, which investigates killings by police and correction officers.

Middleton's union praised the jury's verdict on social media.

“Justice has finally been served for Correction Officer Middleton, whose innocence we have maintained since day one,” Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio said in a statement on X. “We hope he can now move forward with his life after being fully exonerated of these charges.”

Alexis Richards, a spokesperson for the AG's office, said in a statement: “We are disappointed by today’s verdict, and we offer our sincerest condolences to Raymond Chaluisant’s family and loved ones. We must continue to hold law enforcement professionals to the highest standards, and the Office of the Attorney General will always pursue justice for every victim, in every case.”

Middleton, 48, has been suspended without pay since July 2022, according to the Department of Correction. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict or say whether Middleton will be reinstated.

In a closing statement Wednesday, Justin Siebel, with the attorney general’s office, said Middleton overreacted after he was hit in the back with a gel bead fired from a fake rifle. He said Chaluisant was playing with a toy and that Middleton used excessive force against him because he felt disrespected.

“You’re supposed to be able to survive your youth,” Siebel said.

But Middleton's attorney, Joey Jackson, told jurors the correction officer fired his gun in self-defense, because he was scared. He said Middleton thought he might have gotten caught in a drive-by shooting, or that people he had supervised on Riker’s Island might be targeting him.

“He didn’t have the intent to kill anybody,” Jackson said.

Middleton joined the Department of Correction in 2013 and for several years has worked as a firearms instructor, training officers to handle and shoot various types of guns. Prosecutors underscored the officer’s marksmanship skills in their closing statement, showing jurors copies of qualification exams where Middleton repeatedly scored perfectly.

“When he aimed at Raymond’s head and fired, he knew what he was hitting,” Siebel said.

The prosecutor also noted that Middleton didn’t call police after the shooting. Instead, Siebel said, the officer drove to his girlfriend’s place to sleep for a few hours and the next day reported to work, where he was arrested.

Correction: A previous version of this story included an incorrect first name for Justin Siebel of the attorney general's office.

This article was updated with additional comment from the attorney general's office.