New York City corrections officer Dion Middleton, 48, was found not guilty on Oct. 17 on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter after shooting and killing 18-year-old Raymond Chaluisant on July 21, 2022.
Middleton drove off after shooting Chaluisant in the face at the early hour of 1 a.m. near the corner of East 174th Street and Morris Avenue. The bullet pierced the teen’s cheek and lodged in his neck. Chaluisant was pronounced dead at the Bronx St. Barnabas Hospital soon thereafter, and Middleton was arrested later that day.
Middleton’s attorney, Joey Jackson, claimed that the officer acted in self-defense as Chaluisant was found in the car with a gel gun, a toy weapon that fires gel water beads. In a statement to CNN, Jackson said, “You’re walking, it’s 1:30 at night, you get something hit in the back, there’s mayhem all over because apparently the person was firing shots everywhere, and it was just kind of mayhem from my client’s perspective. He turns around, he sees the guy [Middleton] they engage and, boom, he fires a round, which happened to hit him.” Jackson argued that Middleton was protecting himself from what he perceived as a potential firearm threat without the express intent to wound or kill the teen.
Jackson also stated that on the night of the incident, Middleton was in a neighborhood where shootings occurred frequently. Additionally, the attorney cites the user manual for the gel gun, which warns consumers that the gun is “not a toy” and can cause injuries, and the fact that such gadgets are prohibited by law in New York City.
On the opposing side, prosecutor Justin Siebel said that the defense’s evidence was a “distraction” from the true weapon. Referring to Middleton’s firearm, he states, “The gun could kill somebody. It did kill somebody. It killed Raymond Chaluisant.” Then, holding up the bead blaster, he said, “This is a toy.” He also alleged that Middleton fired at Chaluisant not because he was afraid, but because he felt mocked by the teen’s “prank gone wrong,” the term Siebel uses to refer to the use of the gel gun. Siebel pointed out that the officer did not call in other authorities or dial 911 after he fired, believing that “he [Middleton] had no intention of ever coming forward.”
Siebel also highlighted the officer’s firearm qualifications for the Department of Corrections, which indicated that he was proficient with several types of guns. Calling Middleton a “trained marksman,” the attorney showed photos of the boxes of ammunition, a magazine about riflery and a shirt imprinted with a gun graphic that were found in Middleton’s car. “When he aimed at Raymond’s head and fired, he knew what he was hitting,” Siebel said.
After less than two days of court deliberation, Middleton was found not guilty of all charges. The jury decided that the officer had enough reason to fire his gun in self-defense. Middleton’s union, the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, celebrated his innocence through posts on Facebook and X. The union wrote, “Justice has finally been served for Correction Officer Middleton, whose innocence we have maintained since day one. We hope he can now move forward with his life after being fully exonerated of these charges.”
Chaluisant’s family spoke to News 12 about their feelings concerning the court’s verdict. His brother Jose questioned the jury’s reasoning and criticized Middleton’s choice to aim at Raymond instead of shooting at the tires or body of the car, saying “We don’t sleep, we don’t eat, we’re not there no more like we used to be after this. Now he’s out there like a free person? Pretty much, it was OK for him to kill the guy.”
