Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Steven Eastwood

June 23, 2026

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today released body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Steven Eastwood, who died on May 10, 2026 following an encounter with members of the Southampton Town Police Department (STPD) in Southampton, Suffolk County.

Shortly before 3 p.m. on May 10, STPD officers responded to a house in Southampton where they encountered Mr. Eastwood, who was allegedly stabbing his mother with a knife. Officers repeatedly directed Mr. Eastwood to drop the knife, but he failed to comply. Two officers discharged their service weapons, striking Mr. Eastwood. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers recovered several knives at the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General's Office released footage from body-worn cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James' directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI's assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.

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