New York opens investigation into Sean Daniel’s death in Yonkers

New York’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) opened an investigation into Sean Daniel’s death after an encounter with Yonkers police, moving the case beyond a preliminary assessment. The Attorney General’s Office announced the change on Nov. 13, 2026, more than seven months after Daniel died. The office said it received new information but did not describe it.

Daniel died on April 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s preliminary account says officers responded to a 911 call at a Bruce Avenue building in Yonkers at 7:19 p.m. It says officers saw Daniel allegedly assaulting another person; two officers fired Tasers and four attempted to restrain him. The account says Daniel became unconscious, was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead there. The Attorney General’s Office cautioned that the account is preliminary and may change.

What the investigation means i

The change means OSI is conducting an investigation rather than a preliminary assessment. It is not a finding that an officer caused Daniel’s death or committed misconduct. New York Executive Law § 70-b covers deaths caused by an officer’s act or omission, as well as cases in which the attorney general determines there is a question about whether an officer’s act or omission caused a death. For covered incidents, the law calls for a full, reasoned and independent investigation. The Nov. 13 announcement reported no conclusion about the cause of death, officer responsibility or criminal charges.

In April, Yonkers police said their preliminary findings showed no indication that Tasers or officers’ actions caused Daniel’s death, and that medical conditions might have contributed. Those were the department’s preliminary statements, not OSI findings. The Attorney General’s announcement did not say whether the new information relates to the department’s earlier account.

Under § 70-b, OSI must issue a public report if it declines to present evidence to a grand jury or if a grand jury declines to indict. The announcement did not say either condition had occurred and gave no timetable for the investigation.