Attorney General James’ Office of Special Investigation Releases Report on Death of Lisa Haight

December 15, 2025

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James' Office of Special Investigation (OSI) today released its report on the death of Lisa Haight, who died on February 2, 2024 following an encounter with the Town of Hamburg Police Department (THPD) in Hamburg, Erie County. After a thorough investigation, which included review of maps and radio transmissions, interviews with civilian witnesses and involved officers, on-site investigation, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer's actions were justified under New York law.

At approximately 10:20 a.m. on February 2, Ms. Haight was a passenger in a transportation service van traveling with others from Jamestown to Buffalo on I-90 for health care appointments. When the van neared the exit from I-90 to Milestrip Road, Ms. Haight stabbed another passenger several times with a knife. The driver told Ms. Haight to get out of the vehicle and drove the injured passenger to the hospital, where the passenger was treated for injuries and made a full recovery. Ms. Haight was left on the side of I-90.

At 10:39 a.m., a Hamburg homeowner called 911 and reported that a woman "was trying to break into my house." Three THPD officers responded to the house, unaware of the earlier incident on I-90. Officers tracked footprints in the snow outside of the house, through a wooded area, to the partially open back door of another house nearby. Officers knocked on the door, received no response, and, with permission from a lieutenant, entered the house.

At approximately 11:11 a.m., an officer radioed that the officers encountered Ms. Haight in the bathtub, cutting herself with a steak knife. Although they were not equipped with body-worn cameras (BWCs), the investigation indicates that the officers instructed Ms. Haight to put the knife down and step forward, but Ms. Haight did not respond. After a few minutes, Ms. Haight dropped the knife into the bathtub and walked toward the officers, who each grabbed one of her wrists in an attempt to take Ms. Haight into custody. A struggle ensued, and Ms. Haight lunged between them and grabbed what looked like a utility knife. Ms. Haight then swung the object at an officer in a stabbing motion, and an officer discharged his service weapon in response, striking Ms. Haight. Ms. Haight was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered a steak knife and a flashlight at the scene.

Under New York's justification law, a police officer may use deadly physical force when the officer reasonably believes it to be necessary to defend against the use of deadly physical force by another. In this case, the shooting officer believed that Ms. Haight had lunged for what looked like a knife and then swung the object at an officer. Although the object was not a knife, the officer's belief was not objectively unreasonable, as moments before, Ms. Haight had dropped a real knife into the bathtub. The flashlight she grabbed had a metallic clip that, if partially concealed in one's hand, as the officers described, could have looked like a blade. Under these circumstances, given the law and the evidence, a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer's use of deadly physical force against Ms. Haight was justified, and therefore OSI determined that criminal charges would not be pursued in this matter.

At the time of this incident, THPD did not equip its officers with BWCs. In June 2024, THPD informed the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) that its officers are now equipped and trained on the use of BWCs. The OSI continues to urge the New York State Legislature to pass a bill that requires police departments to equip their officers with BWCs and dashboard cameras and require all officers to use them.