An investigation into the death of a person in Wantagh after an encounter with Nassau County police is being conducted by The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation.
On the morning of Nov. 22, two NCPD officers were driving southbound on Wantagh Avenue in a marked NCPD vehicle when they struck a pedestrian at the intersection with Duckpond Drive North. The person struck was transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
News 12 Long Island initially reported the victim as a 22-year-old Wantagh man, though they did not give a name. A press statement released by the Nassau County Police Department identified the victim as Marc Salomone.
A Newsday article reported that while police identified the victim as Marc Salomone, Salomone was a transgender woman who went by the name Morgan since coming out two years ago, according to their mother.
The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation press release did not indicate the victim’s gender.
Under New York State Law, the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation is responsible for assessing every incident where an officer–police, peace, or corrections–may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission.
The law states that the officer can be held responsible if they were on duty or off duty, and if the deceased person was armed or unarmed. If the Office of Special Investigation determines that an officer may have caused the death, they proceed to conduct a full investigation of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
