1984 New York City Subway shooting

Shooting of four Black teenagers by Bernhard Goetz June 2025 December 2022 1984 New York City Subway shooting IRT Broadway-Seventh 14th Street Northbound Platform.jpg The 14th Street station in Manhattan, where Goetz boarded the subway before the shooting New York City, New York, U.S. 1984 12 22 Mass shootingWNYC https://www.wnyc.org/story/subway-attack-update/ As an article on Gothamist reminds us today, mass shootings in New York City subway history are extremely rare.The last biggest one before this was almost 40 years ago, the infamous shooting by that writer named Bernhard Goetz in the 1980s. Brian Lehrer Brian Lehrer April 13, 2022 Subway Attack Update May 1, 2023 May 1, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230501142946/https://www.wnyc.org/story/subway-attack-update/ live Disputed: Vigilantism (prosecution's claim)'Subway Vigilante' Goetz Goes on Trial in N.Y. Hornblower Margot April 28, 1987 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/04/28/subway-vigilante-goetz-goes-on-trial-in-ny/f7e2ad43-c1bd-49cf-a1cf-b4183eb3afd3/ June 6, 2025 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 Anti-black racism (plaintiff's claim in civil case)Jury Hands Down $43M Verdict in Lawsuit Against Goetz https://wc.arizona.edu/papers/89/144/11_1_m.html Arizona Daily Wildcat Associated Press April 24, 1996 June 6, 2025 Self-defense (Goetz's claim) Bernhard Hugo Goetz 4 Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon *Attempted second-degree murder (4 counts) First-degree assault (4 counts) Reckless endangerment Criminal possession of a weapon (4 counts) Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon Fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon (2 counts)The Trial of Bernhard Goetz: Jury Deliberations https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/155-jury yes 1 year in jail (released after 8 1 2 months) *Guilty of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon Not guilty on remaining charges Smith & Wesson Model 38 Goetz ordered to pay $43 million ($US 43 1996 c million in US) to Cabey in civil trial for reckless and deliberate infliction of emotional distressJon Beeman Evan Lange http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/goetz/goetzchrono.html The Bernhard Goetz Trial: A ChronologyJuly 2026 InternetArchiveBot On December 22, 1984, Bernhard GoetzSometimes spelled "Bernard Goetz".Gilliam Dorothy January 7, 1985 Frontier Judgments https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1985/01/07/frontier-judgments/9d936d7a-c9e8-41ff-b22a-48838728bf8e/ June 6, 2025 The Washington Post en-US 0190-8286Kelley Tina September 10, 2000 FOLLOWING UP; Still Seeking Payment From Bernard Goetz https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/10/nyregion/following-up-still-seeking-payment-from-bernard-goetz.html June 6, 2025 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170819105229/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/10/nyregion/following-up-still-seeking-payment-from-bernard-goetz.html August 19, 2017 (g E t shttps://books.google.com/books?id=fYPCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT142 Justified and Philosophy: Shoot First, Think Later Rod Carveth Robert Arp December 22, 2014 Open Court 9780812698886 Google Books) shot four black teenagers on a New York City Subway train in Manhattan.https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/20/nyregion/youth-shot-in-subway-says-he-didn-t-approach-goetz.html Youth Shot In Subway Says He Didn't Approach Goetz The New York Times May 20, 1987 Johnson Kirk live https://web.archive.org/web/20160810024304/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/20/nyregion/youth-shot-in-subway-says-he-didn-t-approach-goetz.html August 10, 2016 25112354 Stories and Verdicts: Bernhard Goetz and New York in Crisis Brooks Michael College Literature 1998 25 1 77–93Political Trials in History: From Antiquity to the Present Ronald Christenson 1991 0-88738-406-4 Transaction Publishers Piscataway, New Jersey 162–163 All four victims survived, though one, Darrell Cabey, was paralyzed and suffered brain damage as a result of his injuries. Goetz fled to Bennington, Vermont, before surrendering to police nine days after the shooting. He was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and several firearms offenses. Goetz claimed self-defense at trial, alleging that the teenagers had attempted to rob him. The jury subsequently found Goetz guilty of one count of carrying an unlicensed firearm and acquitted him of the remaining charges. For the firearm offense, he served eight months of a one-year sentence. In 1996, Cabey obtained a $43 million civil judgment (equivalent to $US 43 1996 million in US) against Goetz after a civil jury ruled Goetz liable. The incident sparked a nationwide debate on crime in major U.S. cities, the legal limits of self-defense, and the extent to which the citizenry could rely on the police to secure their safety. Questions of what impact race—and racism—had on Goetz, the public reaction, and the criminal verdict were hotly contested. Goetz was dubbed the "Subway Vigilante" by the New York press; to his supporters, he came to symbolize frustrations with the high crime rates of the 1980s. The incident has been cited as leading to successful National Rifle Association campaigns to loosen restrictions for concealed carrying of firearms.Richard Feldman http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/bernie-goetz-the-subway-g_b_6369128.html HuffPost New York City Bernie Goetz 'The Subway Gunman' 30 Years Later December 22, 2014 live https://web.archive.org/web/20150711131011/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/bernie-goetz-the-subway-g_b_6369128.html July 11, 2015 Incident In the early afternoon of December 22, 1984, four males in their late teens from the Bronx—19-year-olds Barry Allen, Troy Canty, and Darrell Cabey, and 18-year-old James Ramseur—boarded a downtown 2 train (a Broadway–Seventh Avenue express). Canty would later testify that the victims were en route to steal from video arcade machines in Manhattan.Famous Trials https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/140-cantytestimony The Trial of Bernhard Goetz: Testimony of Troy Canty [Canty:] " We decided we was gonna go into Manhattan and break into video machines." March 9, 2023 March 9, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172853/https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/140-cantytestimony live Thirty-seven-year-old Bernhard Goetz boarded the train at the 14th Street station in Manhattan.The Village Voice Bernhard Goetz: Notes From Underground https://www.villagevoice.com/bernard-goetz-notes-from-underground/ May 12, 1987 Hamill Pete March 9, 2023 March 9, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172853/https://www.villagevoice.com/2020/08/07/bernard-goetz-notes-from-underground/ dead At the time, about fifteen to twenty other passengers were in a R22 subway car, the seventh car of the ten-car train.Subway Gunman: A Juror's Account of the Bernhard Goetz Trial Lesly Mark British American Publishing 1988 0-945167-08-3 23A Crime of Self-Defense: Bernhard Goetz and the Law on Trial Fletcher George P. University of Chicago Press June 1990 0-226-25334-1 Those involved and witnesses disagree what happened next. Troy Canty asked Goetz how he was,Time Jordan Neely's Death Reminds Some New Yorkers of the 1984 Bernhard Goetz Case Olivia B. Waxman May 4, 2023 https://time.com/6277087/jordan-neely-bernhard-goetz-history/ May 5, 2023 May 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230505162923/https://time.com/6277087/jordan-neely-bernhard-goetz-history/ live and shortly thereafter stood up, approached Goetz, and made some overture for money:New York Review of Books Fletcher George P. April 23, 1987 Goetz on Trial https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1987/04/23/goetz-on-trial/?lp_txn_id=1436073 George P. Fletcher March 16, 2023 April 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230405025745/https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1987/04/23/goetz-on-trial/?lp_txn_id=1436073 live According to Canty he alone approached Goetz, and said, "Can I have $5?"Famous Trials https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/140-cantytestimony The Trial of Bernhard Goetz: Testimony of Troy Canty [Canty:] "As far as I can remember, I walked up to him and asked him, you know, 'Can I have $5?'" March 9, 2023 March 9, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172853/https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/140-cantytestimony live (US 5 1984 eq -1). According to Goetz, Canty was joined by another of the teens and Canty said, "Give me five dollars" in a "normal tone" of voice with a smile on his face.Wu Tim Tim Wu March 2017 Criminal Law / Spring 2017 The Trial of Bernhard Goetz: Goetz's Videotaped Confession https://opencasebook.org/casebooks/408-criminal-law-revisions-for-future-use/resources/16.10-the-trial-of-bernhard-goetz-goetzs-videotaped-confession/ H20 February 28, 2023 February 28, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230228155733/https://opencasebook.org/casebooks/408-criminal-law-revisions-for-future-use/resources/16.10-the-trial-of-bernhard-goetz-goetzs-videotaped-confession/ live In 1986, the New York Court of Appeals concluded from grand jury evidence that Goetz pulled a handgun and fired four shots at the four men, initially striking three of them.People V. Goetz https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/court-of-appeals/1986/68-n-y-2d-96-497-n-e-2d-41.html July 22, 2023 Justia Law en Goetz responded by standing up, pulling out his handgun and firing four shots in rapid succession. After initially opening fire, Goetz then bent down to Cabey, who was cowering on the ground, and said, "You don't look so bad. Here's another," and shot once again, striking Cabey.Newman Philip Goetz to victim: 'You don't look so bad. Here's another' United Press International February 28, 1985 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/02/28/Goetz-to-victim-You-dont-look-so-bad-Heres-another/6427478414800/ June 13, 2024 After standing up and shooting each of the youths once, Goetz bent over to check each of his victims, the confession said. One of the men was slumped against a subway seat with no blood visible. Goetz then told police he said, 'You don't look so bad. Here's another,' and fired at him again. That shot missed, police said. Cabey's spine was severed, resulting in brain damage and partial paralysis.United Press International Pessin Esther https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/02/06/A-paralyzed-brain-damaged-victim-of-subway-gunman-Bernhard-Goetz/5898508050000/ February 6, 1986 A paralyzed, brain-damaged victim of subway gunman Bernhard Goetz... Shortly after the shooting, the train conductor entered the car and loudly exclaimed, "What's going on?" He approached Goetz and asked what happened. Goetz pointed to the north end of the car and then told him, "I don't know ... they tried to rob me and I shot them." The conductor then went to the passengers to check if they were injured. The conductor asked Goetz if he was a police officer, which Goetz denied. He then asked Goetz for the gun, which Goetz refused to turn over.102 Bernhard Goetz Bernhard Hugo Goetz was born on November 7, 1947, in the Kew Gardens, Queens, neighborhood to Lutheran German immigrants,McFadden Robert D. Robert D. McFadden January 6, 1985 Goetz: A Private Man in a Public Debate https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/06/nyregion/goetz-a-private-man-in-a-public-debate.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172852/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/06/nyregion/goetz-a-private-man-in-a-public-debate.html March 9, 2023 March 9, 2023 The New York TimesAgus Carole December 14, 1986 Wolf Or Wimp? https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/12/14/wolf-or-wimp/ live http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120329094850/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-12-14/features/8604030432_1_mugged-subway-vigilante-new-york-city-subway/2 March 29, 2012 Chicago TribuneRubin Lillian B. Lillian B. Rubin https://books.google.com/books?id=rvhNqhrgkLcC&pg=PA47 Quiet Rage: Bernie Goetz in a Time of Madness August 14, 1988 University of California Press 9780520064461 Google Books as the youngest of four siblings. His father, Bernhard Willard Goetz,Marzlock Ron 2023-12-21 Before the gun, Goetz was a toddler in Elmhurst https://www.qchron.com/qboro/i_have_often_walked/before-the-gun-goetz-was-a-toddler-in-elmhurst/article_478454c7-1a05-54cb-a0a7-c65c5a47bc8d.html Queens Chronicle en immigrated from Osnabrück in 1928 while his mother, Gertrude Karlsberg, fled Germany in the 1930s due to the Nazi government.January 7, 1985 Crime Frustrated Goetz, Neighbors Say https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-07-mn-11761-story.html live http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120329084723/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-07/news/mn-11761_1_subway-gunman March 29, 2012 Los Angeles Times United Press International10March 3, 1988 Goetz Gets $140,550 From Father's Estate https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/03/nyregion/goetz-gets-140550-from-father-s-estate.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20170814142358/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/03/nyregion/goetz-gets-140550-from-father-s-estate.html August 14, 2017 The New York Times Associated Press The couple married in 1935, after Gertrude, a German Jew, converted to Lutheranism. Goetz grew up in Red Hook and Rhinebeck in Upstate New York, where his father ran a dairy farm and a bookbinding business.Stengel Richard Richard Stengel Gauger Marcia Kalb Barry April 8, 1985 A Troubled and Troubling Life https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141513,00.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20150510233718/https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141513,00.html May 10, 2015 Time In 1960, his father was convicted of molesting two teenage boys,McNamara Joseph January 22, 1987 Book Review: Goetz: Anger of a Loner, Rage in the Mean Streets https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-01-22-vw-152-story.html live http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20170310040446/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-22/news/vw-152_1_bernie-goetz March 10, 2017 Los Angeles Times due to which Goetz and one of his sisters were sent to attend boarding school in SwitzerlandOctober 19, 1987 Personality Spotlight Bernhard Goetz: 'Subway vigilante' https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/10/19/Personality-SpotlightNEWLNBernhard-Goetz-Subway-vigilante/3509561614400/ UPI en before returning to the United States to obtain a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and nuclear engineering from New York University. Goetz then moved to Orlando, Florida, where his family had relocated, and worked at his father's residential development business. After a divorce, Goetz moved back to New York City, where he started an electronics business out of his Greenwich Village apartment. According to Goetz, in early 1981, he was the victim of a robbery at the Canal Street subway station.Daley Suzanne Suzanne Daley January 1, 1985 Man Tells Police He Shot Youths In Subway Train https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/01/nyregion/man-tells-police-he-shot-youths-in-subway-train.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20170902233449/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/01/nyregion/man-tells-police-he-shot-youths-in-subway-train.html September 2, 2017 The New York Times Goetz reported that three black teenagers had smashed him into a plate-glass door and thrown him to the ground, injuring his chest and knee.Friedman Myra February 18, 1985 With Michael Daly My Neighbor Bernie Goetz https://books.google.com/books?id=VMEBAAAAMBAJ New York Goetz was involved in a struggle with one of the teenagers until police arrived; that individual accused Goetz of assaulting him. To his frustration, Goetz was detained for six hours, while the person he accused was released in two and a half hours. Goetz subsequently applied for a permit to carry a concealed handgun, on the basis of routinely carrying valuable equipment and large sums of cash, but his application was denied on the grounds of "insufficient need". During a trip to Florida, he bought the five-shot .38-caliber revolver that he ultimately would use in the shooting. Goetz was known to use racist language; his neighbor, Myra Friedman, reported overhearing Goetz having said, "The only way we're going to clean up this street is to get rid of the spics and niggers" at a community meeting eighteen months before the shooting.Crouch Stanley Stanley Crouch March 12, 1985 Bernie Goetz: The Black Community at Gunpoint https://www.villagevoice.com/i-the-jury-the-black-community-at-gunpoint/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20230306204748/https://www.villagevoice.com/2020/09/17/i-the-jury-the-black-community-at-gunpoint/ March 6, 2023 March 6, 2023 The Village Voice Friedman's account was excluded from the criminal jury trial,Lee Cynthia Kwei Yung 1996 Race and Self-Defense: Toward a Normative Conception of Reasonableness https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2060&context=mlr live Minnesota Law Review 81 367–500 https://web.archive.org/web/20230306203243/https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2060&context=mlr March 6, 2023 March 6, 2023472 but in a subsequent civil action, Goetz admitted to having used both epithets at a neighborhood meeting.Haberman Clyde Clyde Haberman April 12, 1996 One Question That Matters In Goetz Case https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/12/nyregion/nyc-one-question-that-matters-in-goetz-case.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20230308161538/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/12/nyregion/nyc-one-question-that-matters-in-goetz-case.html March 8, 2023 March 8, 2023 The New York Times Victims Goetz's four victims, Barry Allen, Troy Canty, Darrell Cabey, and James Ramseur lived in the Morrisania, Bronx neighborhood, an area known at the time for high rates of poverty and crime.Gopnik Adam 2026-01-12 The New York Shooting That Defined an Era https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/01/19/five-bullets-elliot-williams-fear-and-fury-heather-ann-thompson-book-review 2026-06-30 The New Yorker en-US 0028-792XRaab Selwyn 1985-01-10 4 Youths Shot by Goetz Faced Criminal Counts https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/10/nyregion/4-youths-shot-by-goetz-faced-criminal-counts.html 2026-06-30 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 The four were between the ages of eighteen and nineteen and were described as five foot six or shorter and thin.Muyumba Walton 2026-01-21 When Bernie Goetz shot four Black teenagers in 1984 it was just one moment in a long history of white rage https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/21/arts/heather-ann-thompson-fear-fury-bernie-goetz/ 2026-06-30 BostonGlobe.com en-US None of the four had completed high school. Each of the youths shot by Goetz was facing a trial or hearing on criminal charges at the time of their shooting. Ten weeks prior to being shot, Cabey was arrested on charges that he held up three men with a shotgun in the Bronx, and he was released on $2,000 bail. Goetz's flight, surrender, and interrogation After the shooting, Goetz took a cab back to his 14th Street home before renting a car and driving north to Bennington, Vermont; he then burned the distinctive blue jacket he had been wearing and scattered the pieces of his gun in the woods. Goetz stayed at various hotels in New England for several days.Douglas O. Linder Doug Linder The Trial of Bernhard Goetz: An Account Famous Trials https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/133-home March 3, 2023 March 9, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172856/https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/133-home live On December 26, an anonymous hotline caller told New York City police that Goetz matched the gunman's description, owned a gun, and had been assaulted previously.https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/02/nyregion/irt-suspect-is-charged-as-fugitive.html IRT Suspect Is Charged As Fugitive The New York Times January 2, 1985 Daley Suzanne Suzanne Daley https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070515/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/02/nyregion/irt-suspect-is-charged-as-fugitive.html February 2, 2017 CITEREFDaley1985Jan02https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/news/goetz-drove-across-new-england-for-several-days-before-surrender.html Goetz Drove Across New England For Several Days Before Surrender The New York Times Daley Suzanne Suzanne Daley January 4, 1985 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070728/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/news/goetz-drove-across-new-england-for-several-days-before-surrender.html February 2, 2017 CITEREFDaley1985Jan04 On December 29, Goetz called his neighbor, Myra Friedman, who told him that police had come by his apartment looking for him and had left notes asking to be contacted as soon as possible. Goetz told Friedman he had felt as though he was in a "combat situation", needing to "think more quickly than [his] opposition." Goetz returned to New York City on December 30, turned in the car, picked up some clothing and business papers at his apartment, rented another car, and drove back to New England. Shortly after noon the next day, he walked into the Concord, New Hampshire police headquarters and told the officer on duty, "I am the person they are seeking in New York." Once the officer realized that Goetz was a genuine suspect, Goetz was Mirandized and elected to talk to the police. The Concord police made an audio recording of Goetz's interview. New York City police detectives Susan Braver, Michael Clark, and Dan Hattendorf subsequently interviewed Goetz, and a two-hour video recording of that interview was made. Both interviews were played at the criminal trial.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/14/nyregion/jury-watches-an-angry-goetz-on-tape.html Jury Watches an Angry Goetz on Tape Johnson Kirk May 14, 1987 March 29, 2023 March 29, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230329153023/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/14/nyregion/jury-watches-an-angry-goetz-on-tape.html live Johnson1987May14https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/weekinreview/everybody-is-edgy-as-goetz-trial-opens.html Everybody Is Edgy As Goetz Trial Opens The New York Times May 3, 1987 Johnson Kirk live https://web.archive.org/web/20160306204855/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/weekinreview/everybody-is-edgy-as-goetz-trial-opens.html March 6, 2016 Johnson1987May03 Goetz told police that he felt that he was being robbed and was at risk of violence, and he explained he had been both mugged once before and nearly mugged several times: "I've been in situations where I've shown the gun. ... The threat, when I was surrounded, and at that point, showing the gun would have been enough, but when I saw this one fellow [Canty], when I saw the gleam in his eye ... and the smile on his face ... and they say it's a joke and lot of them say it's a joke."http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reporter/archives/p_goetz.htm People v. Goetz 68 N.Y.2d 96 New York Court of Appeals July 8, 1986 Asked what his intentions were when he drew his revolver, Goetz replied, "My intention was to murder them, to hurt them, to make them suffer as much as possible."https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/30/nyregion/you-have-to-think-in-a-cold-blooded-way.html ... You Have To Think In A Cold-Blooded Way The New York Times April 30, 1987 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170607233032/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/30/nyregion/you-have-to-think-in-a-cold-blooded-way.html June 7, 2017 Goetz also said that, after firing four shots, he moved to Cabey and said, "You seem to be doing all right, here's another," before shooting at him again. Later in the tape, Goetz said, "If I had more bullets, I would have shot them all again and again. My problem was I ran out of bullets." He added, "I was gonna', I was gonna' gouge one of the guys' [Canty's] eyes out with my keys afterwards", but said he stopped when he saw the fear in his eyes.http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1322122.html Intended to Gouge Eye Of Teen, Goetz Tape Says; 'My Problem Was I Ran Out of Bullets' The Washington Post May 14, 1987 Hornblower Margot usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20121023052130/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1322122.html October 23, 2012 February 11, 2009 HighBeam Research subscription CITEREFHornblower1987May14 He denied any premeditation for the shooting, something on which the press had speculated.58 Legal aftermath Criminal case Goetz was brought back to Manhattan on January 3, 1985, and arraigned on four charges of attempted murder, with bail set at $50,000. He was held in protective custody at the Rikers Island prison hospital.https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/nyregion/no-headline-193196.html Goetz Held at Rikers I. In $50,000 Bail in Wounding of 4 Teenagers on IRC Under tight security, Bernhard Hugo Goetz was returned ... The New York Times January 4, 1985 Chambers Marcia live https://web.archive.org/web/20171128135252/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/nyregion/no-headline-193196.html November 28, 2017 Refusing offers of bail assistance from the public and from his family, he posted bail with his own funds and was released on bond January 8.https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/09/nyregion/goetz-posts-bail-and-is-freed-youths-he-shot-won-t-testify.html Goetz Posts Bail And Is Freed; Youths He Shot Won't Testify The New York Times January 9, 1985 Chambers Marcia live https://web.archive.org/web/20171128104113/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/09/nyregion/goetz-posts-bail-and-is-freed-youths-he-shot-won-t-testify.html November 28, 2017 Chambers1985Jan09 Indictments further information on the second indictment and subsequent appeal People v. Goetz Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau asked a grand jury to indict Goetz on four counts of attempted murder, four of assault, four of reckless endangerment, and one of criminal possession of a weapon.https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/26/nyregion/grand-jury-votes-to-indict-goetz-only-on-gun-possession-charges.html Grand Jury Votes To Indict Goetz Only On Gun Possession Charges The New York Times January 26, 1985 Chambers Marcia live https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070526/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/26/nyregion/grand-jury-votes-to-indict-goetz-only-on-gun-possession-charges.html February 2, 2017 Chambers1985Jan26https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/28/nyregion/goetz-spoke-to-one-youth-then-shot-again-police-say.html Goetz Spoke To One Youth, Then Shot Again, Police Say The New York Times February 28, 1985 Chambers Marcia live https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070512/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/28/nyregion/goetz-spoke-to-one-youth-then-shot-again-police-say.html February 2, 2017 Chambers1985Feb28https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/01/nyregion/morgenthau-says-goetz-case-may-go-to-2d-grand-jury.html Morgenthau Says Goetz Case May Go To 2D Grand Jury The New York Times March 1, 1985 Roberts Sam live https://web.archive.org/web/20170202070931/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/01/nyregion/morgenthau-says-goetz-case-may-go-to-2d-grand-jury.html February 2, 2017 On January 25, the grand jury refused to indict Goetz on the more serious charges, voting indictments only for unlawful gun possession—one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, for carrying in public the loaded unlicensed gun used in the subway shooting, and two counts of possession in the fourth degree, for keeping two other unlicensed handguns in his home. In March 1985, Morgenthau announced that the state had obtained new evidence—an unnamed witness—and sought leave to convene a second grand jury; Judge Stephen Crane granted Morgenthau's motion.http://www.triroc.com/BHG/NYSvBG.htm THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF YORK Against BERNHARD GOETZ live https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232209/http://www.triroc.com/BHG/NYSvBG.htm December 30, 2013 Morgenthau granted immunity to Troy Canty and James Ramseur, which he had previously declined to do, allowing them to testify before the second grand jury. The second grand jury indicted Goetz on charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and weapons possession.https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/17/nyregion/goets-cleared-subway-attack-gun-count-upheld-acquittal-won-shooting-4-youths.html Goetz Is Cleared In Subway Attack; Gun Count Upheld; Acquittal Won In Shooting Of 4 Youths – Prison Term Possible On Weapon Charge The New York Times June 17, 1987 Johnson Kirk live https://web.archive.org/web/20171104113856/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/17/nyregion/goets-cleared-subway-attack-gun-count-upheld-acquittal-won-shooting-4-youths.html November 4, 2017 Johnson1987Jun17 In January 1986, Judge Crane granted a motion by Goetz to dismiss these new indictments. Judge Crane dismissed the charges on two grounds: First, he held that the prosecutor had erred when instructing the grand jury that, for Goetz's actions to be protected by New York's self-defense statute, they would have to be objectively reasonable.The New York Times Morgenthau to Appeal Ruling on Goetz January 18, 1986 Richard J. Meislin https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/18/nyregion/morgenthau-to-appeal-ruling-on-goetz.html March 3, 2023 April 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230405025744/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/18/nyregion/morgenthau-to-appeal-ruling-on-goetz.html live Second, he found that Canty and Ramseur "strongly appeared" to have perjured themselves.Los Angeles Times December 6, 1985 The Nation https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-06-mn-580-story.html March 3, 2023 March 23, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230323190958/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-06-mn-580-story.html livehttps://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/27/nyregion/questioning-planned-for-youth-goetz-shot.html Questioning Planned For Youth Goetz Shot The New York Times November 27, 1985 live https://web.archive.org/web/20171124053214/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/27/nyregion/questioning-planned-for-youth-goetz-shot.html November 24, 2017 Although Judge Crane did not specify his bases for the perjury finding, The New York Times reported that it appeared to be based on alleged statements by Canty, Ramseur, and Cabey: According to police officer Peter Smith, who responded to the shooting, Canty told him that the group was planning to rob Goetz, but Goetz shot them first, though Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward said through a spokesman that he did not find Smith's account credible. Ramseur gave an interview to the Cable News Network saying he believed Goetz thought he was going to be robbed. And Cabey, while in the hospital, allegedly told New York Daily News reporter Jimmy Breslin that the other members of the group planned to rob Goetz because he "looked like easy bait" (though Cabey denied involvement himself). The prosecution appealed the case, maintaining that a self-defense justification required objective reasonableness and that the statements Judge Crane relied on did not indicate perjury or require dismissal. In July 1986, after an appellate division upheld Judge Crane's dismissal, the New York Court of Appeals reversed the appellate division and reinstated the charges. The high court clarified that a defendant's subjective perception of imminent danger does not, by itself, justify the use of force; instead, it held, that belief must be both subjectively held and objectively reasonable.https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1802&context=faculty_publications 301–06 "Murder and the Reasonable Man" Revisited: A Response to Victoria Nourse Lee Cynthia Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 3 2005 February 17, 2023 February 13, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230213165704/https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1802&context=faculty_publications live304 Additionally, the court held that Judge Crane's perjury finding was "speculat[ive]" and "particularly inappropriate": "[A]ll that has come to light is hearsay evidence that conflicts with part of Canty's testimony. There is no statute or controlling case law requiring dismissal of an indictment merely because, months later, the prosecutor becomes aware of some information which may lead to the defendant's acquittal." Trial In December 1986, jury selection began and, in April 1987, the trial commenced before a Manhattan jury of ten whites and two blacks, six of whom had been victims of street crime.https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/24/opinion/the-goetz-verdict.html Editorial The Goetz Verdict The New York Times April 24, 1996 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160421115634/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/24/opinion/the-goetz-verdict.html April 21, 2016 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964773,00.html Not Guilty Time June 29, 1987 Otto Friedrich Roger Franklin Raji Samghabad dead https://web.archive.org/web/20101022233418/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964773,00.html October 22, 2010 Goetz was represented by Barry Slotnick and Mark M. Baker. Goetz conceded that he had shot the four men, but he asserted that his actions were justified by section 35.15(2) of New York's justification statute, which, with non-relevant exceptions, permitted the use of deadly force when actor "reasonably believes that such other person is using or about to use deadly physical force ... or ... is committing or attempting to commit a kidnapping, forcible rape, forcible sodomy or robbery". The key question for the jurors was how to separate the vague perception of intimidation from the more specific threat of robbery, or from the "threat of deadly physical force," which Justice Crane told the jurors were the two grounds that would justify Mr. Goetz's use of his weapon. Kirk Johnson The New York Times Both prosecution and defense agreed that the jury would be required to consider several factual questions, including (1) whether the teenagers had acted as a group or as individuals, (2) whether Goetz had shot Cabey after the immediate threat was over, and (3) whether Goetz was threatened.Johnson Kirk April 26, 1987 Details Viewed as Key in Goetz Trial https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/26/nyregion/details-viewed-as-key-in-goetz-trial.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20230225175311/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/26/nyregion/details-viewed-as-key-in-goetz-trial.html February 25, 2023 February 25, 2023 The New York Times English Johnson1987Apr26 As to whether Goetz had been threatened, Canty testified that he was merely panhandling when he asked Goetz for $5.https://apnews.com/article/6cac2a052514d2bb4b0c01a15b108add Defense Opens In Goetz Case With Story of 1981 Mugging Associated Press News Samuel Maull May 22, 1987 March 3, 2023 April 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230405031248/https://apnews.com/article/6cac2a052514d2bb4b0c01a15b108add live Ramseur testified that Canty approached Goetz alone and that he, Allen, and Cabey remained seated,The Trial of Bernhard Goetz: Testimony of James Ramseur Famous Trials https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/145-ramseurtestimony March 9, 2023 March 9, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230309172853/https://www.famous-trials.com/goetz/145-ramseurtestimony livehttps://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/subway-vigilante-bernard-goetz-self-defense-trial Subway Vigilante Bernard Goetz: Self-Defense On Trial UVA Law: Dengrove Collection Writeup March 3, 2023 April 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230405025746/https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/subway-vigilante-bernard-goetz-self-defense-trial live but Ramseur's testimony was stricken after he professed his belief that Goetz would be acquitted regardless of the evidence and eventually refused to answer Slotnick's questions.https://apnews.com/article/f6323a061276d26a985c06cb3d1b394e Ramseur Testimony Stricken Jerry Schwartz Associated Press News May 28, 1987 March 3, 2023 April 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230405025746/https://apnews.com/article/f6323a061276d26a985c06cb3d1b394e live Neither Goetz nor Cabey testified, and Allen took the Fifth Amendment. Amanda Gilbert, a witness, testified that Cabey, after being shot, told her, "I didn't do anything. He shot me for nothing," but her testimony was stricken as hearsay. The defense called police officer Peter Smith, who testified that, after he arrived on the scene, Canty had told him that the group was planning to rob Goetz. On cross examination, the prosecution pointed out that Smith had failed to report the statement to his superiors or to a reporter when giving a television interview. Another point of contention at trial was whether Goetz had shot at least some of the men in the back. For the defense, Dominick DiMaio, Suffolk County's former medical examiner, testified that Allen, Canty, Cabey, and Ramseur had been standing in a semi-circle around Goetz when he opened fire. However, the county's then-current medical examiner, Charles Hirsch, offered rebuttal testimony that it was medically impossible to determine how the victims were positioned when shot, and he also found that the bullets that hit Allen and Cabey had traveled from back to front, suggesting that both had been shot in the back.United Press International Final Goetz Trial Witness Rebuts Defense Claims Los Angeles Times June 9, 1987 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-09-mn-6045-story.html February 22, 2023 February 22, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230222183646/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-09-mn-6045-story.html live Ballistics expert Joseph Quirk, for the defense, testified that Allen had been shot while ducking rather than while running away. On cross examination, Quirk conceded that the prosecution's theory was also consistent with the evidence, and, after being shown a photograph of a bullet-entry wound in Allen's back, Quirk admitted that he had based his theory as to Allen on incorrect information provided to him by the defense. Specifically related to Goetz's shooting of Cabey, the parties contested whether Cabey had been struck by the fourth or fifth shot and whether, if the fifth, Goetz had paused before firing.69,126 According to the prosecution, Goetz shot the seated Cabey at point-blank range with his fifth bullet; the defense argued that Goetz had fired all five shots in short order and Cabey had been hit by the fourth shot before collapsing.208 One witness testified that, consistent with Goetz's since-recanted police statement, Goetz opened fire before approaching to within "two to three feet" of a seated Cabey; the witness demonstrated how Goetz stood directly in front of Cabey and fired downward, shooting Cabey in the stomach.138123–125 However, the eight other witnesses who testified on the matter reported that all of the shots came in "rapid succession"171https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/06/11/subway-gunmans-trial-winding-to-a-close/e76a8123-1c50-4814-b93d-b31d0a589c7b/ Subway Gunman's Trial Winding to a Close Margot Hornblower Margot Roosevelt June 11, 1987 The Washington Post CITEREFHornblower1987Jun11—one said the firing lasted "about a second",102 and none of those eight testified that they had observed Goetz standing in front of Cabey.235 Verdict and post-verdict appeal Goetz was acquitted of the attempted-murder and first-degree-assault charges and convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree for carrying a loaded, unlicensed weapon in a public place.The jury found that Goetz lacked the specific intent to commit attempted murder, never technically reaching the justification question; however, because intent was not seriously challenged at trial, subsequent analyses postulated that the jury had effectively incorporated self-defense into the intent analysis.Self-Defense And the Mistaken Racist Stephen P. Garvey Winter 2008 11 New Criminal Law Review 1 10.1525/nclr.2008.11.1.119 https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1306&context=facpub 119–171 March 22, 2023 April 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230405025745/https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1306&context=facpub live subscription121 n.18 Goetz was originally sentenced to six months in jail, one year's psychiatric treatment, five years' probation, 200 hours of community service, and a $5,000 fine.The Washington Post Howard Kurtz Howard Kurtz https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/10/20/goetz-sentenced-to-6-months-for-subway-shootings/f4449db4-7aef-4ab5-b571-ed83ecb9c327/ October 20, 1987 Goetz Sentenced to 6 Months for Subway Shootings Goetz appealed the conviction and sentence.The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/14/nyregion/goetz-is-given-one-year-term-on-gun-charge.html Goetz Is Given One-Year Term On Gun Charge Ronald Sullivan January 14, 1989 March 7, 2023 March 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230307151230/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/14/nyregion/goetz-is-given-one-year-term-on-gun-charge.html live As to the conviction, Goetz argued that the judge's jury instructions improperly discouraged jury nullification; the appellate division and New York Court of Appeals rejected that argument.University of Chicago Law Review Silencing Nullification Advocacy Inside the Jury Room and Outside the Courtroom Nancy J. King 1998 https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4964&context=uclrev 65 2 433–500 10.2307/1600227 1600227 1803/6502 March 7, 2023 March 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230307170647/https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4964&context=uclrev live free475 n.158People v. Goetz 73 N.Y.2d 751 752–53 New York Court of Appeals November 22, 1988 https://casetext.com/case/people-v-goetz-3 https://web.archive.org/web/20230307170139/https://casetext.com/case/people-v-goetz-3 dead March 7, 2023 As to the sentence, Goetz argued that the state's gun laws required, at minimum, a one-year sentence. (Under New York's then-existing law, a defendant sentenced to six months would have been required to serve, at minimum, 90 days, while a defendant sentenced to one year would be eligible for release after 60 days.) On this point, the appellate court agreed, overturning the sentence.Deseret News Goetz Is Sent to Jail for 1 Year; Court Overturns Original Sentence, Citing N.Y. Gun Law https://www.deseret.com/1989/1/14/18791414/goetz-is-sent-to-jail-for-1-year-br-court-overturns-original-sentence-citing-n-y-gun-law January 14, 1989 March 7, 2023 March 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230307151230/https://www.deseret.com/1989/1/14/18791414/goetz-is-sent-to-jail-for-1-year-br-court-overturns-original-sentence-citing-n-y-gun-law live On remand, Judge Crane sentenced Goetz to one-year incarceration and a $5,000 fine. Goetz ultimately served eight months,The New York Times Goetz Released After Spending 8 Months in Jail Michael Freitag https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/21/nyregion/goetz-released-after-spending-8-months-in-jail.html September 21, 1989 March 7, 2023 March 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230307151230/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/21/nyregion/goetz-released-after-spending-8-months-in-jail.html live receiving credit for good behavior.United Press International Goldberg Barbara September 20, 1989 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/09/20/Subway-gunman-Goetz-gets-out-of-jail/2344622267200/ Subway gunman Goetz gets out of jail Civil litigation Cabey v. Goetz A month after the shootings, Cabey, represented by William Kunstler and Ron Kuby, filed a civil suit against Goetz.Coyne Randall Defending the Despised: William Moses Kunstler American Indian Law Review 1995 20 1 257–279 10.2307/20068791 20068791 https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/ailr/vol20/iss1/9 December 22, 2021 November 20, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211120183217/https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/ailr/vol20/iss1/9/ live subscription The civil case was tried in 1996.Fitz-Gibbon Jorge April 23, 1996 Goetz A Jerk, Not A Racist, Jury Told https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/04/23/goetz-a-jerk-not-a-racist-jury-told/ March 21, 2025 New York Daily News 2692-1251 Unlike Goetz's criminal jury, which was predominantly White and from Manhattan, the civil jury was half African American and entirely from the Bronx.91https://ristrophcriminallaw.lawbooks.cali.org/chapter/chapter-10-affirm-defenses/ Criminal Law: An Integrated Approach Alice Ristroph August 8, 2022 Chapter Ten: Affirmative Defenses March 3, 2023 March 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230303203053/https://ristrophcriminallaw.lawbooks.cali.org/chapter/chapter-10-affirm-defenses/ live Additionally, crime in New York City had fallen substantially since the criminal trial.91Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Gladwell In a Different New York, A Different Goetz Trial April 21, 1996 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/04/21/in-a-different-new-york-a-different-goetz-trial/b1369624-e31d-4963-af5f-2953c8d3f565/ The Washington Post While race had only been subliminally addressed in the criminal trial, Cabey's civil-trial attorneys explicitly argued that Goetz had been motivated by race. Goetz admitted to previous use of racial language and to smoking PCP-laced marijuana during the 1980s.Harvard Crimson https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1996/4/27/sizzle-the-bacon-pthis-week-was/ Sizzle the Bacon David W. Brown April 27, 1996 March 8, 2023 March 8, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230308161538/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1996/4/27/sizzle-the-bacon-pthis-week-was/ livehttps://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/16/nyregion/fund-linked-to-nra-gave-20000-for-goetz-s-defense.html Fund Linked to N.R.A. Gave $20,000 For Goetz's Defense The New York Times April 16, 1996 Hoffman Jan live https://web.archive.org/web/20160830203558/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/16/nyregion/fund-linked-to-nra-gave-20000-for-goetz-s-defense.html August 30, 2016 For the defense, Jimmy Breslin testified that, in a 1985 hospital-bed interview, Cabey, while denying his own involvement, said that Allen, Canty, and Ramseur intended to rob Goetz because he looked like "easy bait," but Cabey's attorneys pointed out that Cabey had suffered brain damage prior to the interview and that Breslin's column described Cabey as "confused."https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/18/nyregion/goetz-defense-opens-calls-jimmy-breslin-and-a-psychiatrist-thencloses.html Goetz Defense Opens, Calls Jimmy Breslin and a Psychiatrist, Then Closes The New York Times April 18, 1996 Hoffman Jan live https://web.archive.org/web/20170307090647/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/18/nyregion/goetz-defense-opens-calls-jimmy-breslin-and-a-psychiatrist-thencloses.html March 7, 2017 CITEREFHoffman1996Apr18 The jury found that Goetz had acted recklessly and had deliberately inflicted emotional distress on Cabey. Jurors awarded Cabey $43 million; $18 million for pain and suffering and $25 million in punitive damages.https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/24/nyregion/bronx-jury-orders-goetz-to-pay-man-he-paralyzed-43-million.html Bronx Jury Orders Goetz to Pay Man He Paralyzed $43 Million The New York Times April 24, 1996 Nossiter Adam live https://web.archive.org/web/20160305055741/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/24/nyregion/bronx-jury-orders-goetz-to-pay-man-he-paralyzed-43-million.html March 5, 2016 Goetz subsequently filed for bankruptcy, saying that legal expenses had left him almost penniless. A United States bankruptcy court judge ruled that the $43 million judgment was nondischargeable A type of debt that cannot be eliminated through bankruptcy. Such debts usually include, but are not limited to: student loans; most federal, state, and local taxes; and child support and alimony..https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/02/nyregion/bankrupt-goetz-still-owes-victim.html Bankrupt, Goetz Still Owes Victim The New York Times August 2, 1996 Holloway Lynette live https://web.archive.org/web/20160403013229/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/02/nyregion/bankrupt-goetz-still-owes-victim.html April 3, 2016 Because Goetz was only "sporadically employed as an electrical engineering consultant," the expectation was that 10% of Goetz's income for the next 20 years would be garnished.Jonathan Markovitz University of California Irvine Law Review 5 873–934 https://scholarship.law.uci.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1221&context=ucilr "A Spectacle of Slavery Unwilling to Die": Curbing Reliance on Racial Stereotyping in Self-Defense Cases March 7, 2023 March 20, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200320191749/https://scholarship.law.uci.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1221&context=ucilr live902 n.159 Stephen Somerstein, one of Cabey's attorneys, expressed some optimism that a portion of any book deal Goetz signed could contribute to the judgment.Deseret News https://www.deseret.com/1996/6/13/19248368/1-debt-s-likely-to-pursue-goetz-for-the-rest-of-his-life Debt Likely to Pursue Goetz for the Rest of His Life Associated Press June 13, 1996 March 7, 2023 March 7, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230307150132/https://www.deseret.com/1996/6/13/19248368/1-debt-s-likely-to-pursue-goetz-for-the-rest-of-his-life live In 2000, Kuby told reporters that he had hired a firm specializing in debt collection to pursue Goetz, but he noted that Goetz "appear[ed] to be living in voluntary squalor." Asked in 2004 whether he was making payments on the judgment, Goetz responded "I don't think I've paid a penny on that", and referred any questions on the subject to his attorney. Goetz's defamation claims In 1990, Goetz filed a defamation action against Cabey; his mother, Sherry; and his attorneys, Kunstler and Kuby.Goetz Files Libel Suit And Assails Lawyers The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/10/nyregion/metro-datelines-goetz-files-libel-suit-and-assails-lawyers.html January 10, 1990 February 24, 2023 February 24, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230224164449/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/10/nyregion/metro-datelines-goetz-files-libel-suit-and-assails-lawyers.html live The suit was dismissed.Judge Dismisses Goetz Libel Suit Against Lawyer Orlando Sentinel July 11, 1990 https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-07-11-9007110543-story.html February 24, 2023 February 24, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230224164451/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1990-07-11-9007110543-story.html live In 1994, Goetz filed another defamation action related to My Life as a Radical Lawyer, a book by Kunstler, published by Carol Communications, Inc. 1996 Freedom of Speech and Press: Goetz v. Kunstler https://digitalcommons.tourolaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3040&context=lawreview Touro Law Review 12 976–81 February 24, 2023 February 24, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230224164450/https://digitalcommons.tourolaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3040&context=lawreview liveUnited Press International https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/04/Subway-gunman-Goetz-sues-attorney/8166781243200/ Subway Gunman Goetz Sues Attorney October 4, 1994 Amongst other claims, Goetz objected to the book's description of him as a "paranoid" "murderous vigilante" who had "developed a hatred for blacks."Goetz v. Kunstler 164 Misc. 2d 557 559—65 N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1995 https://casetext.com/case/goetz-v-kunstler https://web.archive.org/web/20230224164451/https://casetext.com/case/goetz-v-kunstler dead February 24, 2023 Goetz specifically objected that the book's description of him as a racist hurt his "good name, reputation, feelings, and public standing." The court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, finding that the statements complained of were, varyingly, protected opinion (rather than actionable fact statements), not defamatory, or substantially true.Delgado Richard Richard Delgado Stefancic Jean Jean Stefancic 2019 Understanding Words That Wound 11 Taylor & Francis Public reaction The shootings initially drew considerable support from the public.Maeder Jay November 8, 2001 Quality Of Life The Subway Vigilante, December 1984 – January 1985 Chapter 463 https://www.nydailynews.com/2001/11/08/quality-of-life-the-subway-vigilante-december-1984-january-1985-chapter-463/ March 21, 2025 New York Daily News 2692-1251 A Daily News-WABC-TV poll released in January 1985 showed 49 percent of the 515 New Yorkers questioned approved of Goetz's actions, while only 31 percent disapproved.United Press International https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/01/06/Mayor-says-subway-shooting-can-produce-good/8271473835600/ Mayor Says Subway Shooting Can Produce Good Pessin Esther January 6, 1985 March 28, 2023 May 4, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504235953/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/01/06/Mayor-says-subway-shooting-can-produce-good/8271473835600/ live A special hotline set up by police to seek information was swamped by calls supporting the shooter and calling him a hero.https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/30/weekinreview/the-little-known-world-of-the-vigilante.html The Little-Known World Of The Vigilante The New York Times December 30, 1984 Sanger David E. David E. Sanger live https://web.archive.org/web/20170206133823/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/30/weekinreview/the-little-known-world-of-the-vigilante.html February 6, 2017 In March, Morgenthau reported that the letters his office received were running 3 to 1 in Goetz's favor.https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,964133,00.html New Evidence: Reopening the Goetz Case Time March 25, 1985 Richard Stengel Richard Stengel Marcia Gauger John F. Stacks https://web.archive.org/web/20071109180702/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964133,00.html November 9, 2007 The same month, a Gallup poll interviewing 1,009 adults found that 57% of respondents approved of Goetz's shootings and two-thirds said that Goetz had acted in self defense. However, compared to the January poll, Goetz's support among African Americans had dipped considerably: while only 36% of Black respondents disapproved of his actions in the January poll, 53% reported disapproval in the March poll.United Press International A Majority of Americans Support Subway Vigilante Bernhard Goetz... March 3, 1985 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/03/03/A-majority-of-Americans-support-subway-vigilante-Bernhard-Goetz/9249478674000/ March 28, 2023 February 12, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210212233624/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/03/03/A-majority-of-Americans-support-subway-vigilante-Bernhard-Goetz/9249478674000/ live Questions of what impact race had on Goetz's thinking, the public's reaction, and the verdict by the (predominately White) criminal jury became hotly debated.https://escholarship.org/content/qt41p0f0zc/qt41p0f0zc_noSplash_f498d6d447d91fef32accd452e8cadd4.pdf?t=rdiswh 21–105 The New Dread, Part I: The Judicial Overthrow of the Reasonableness Standard in Police Shooting Cases Kindaka J. Sanders 2022 Criminal Justice Law Review 21 March 3, 2023 March 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230303203052/https://escholarship.org/content/qt41p0f0zc/qt41p0f0zc_noSplash_f498d6d447d91fef32accd452e8cadd4.pdf?t=rdiswh live49The Christian Science Monitor Controversy and Justice in the Case of Bernard Goetz Jim Bencivenga July 14, 1988 https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0714/dbbern.html March 6, 2023 March 6, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230306203250/https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0714/dbbern.html live The Los Angeles Times reported that, during the criminal trial, demonstrators outside the courtroom chanted "Bernhard Goetz, you can't hide; we charge you with genocide."https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-07-mn-5137-story.html Bail Slashed for Man Who Shot Four on Subway Los Angeles Times February 7, 1985 live http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120127212645/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-07/news/mn-5137_1_bernhard-goetz January 27, 2012 Initial sources differed in reporting the sequence of shots fired, timing of shots, whether Cabey was shot once or twice, and whether any of the men Goetz shot were armed. Some reports, picking up on Goetz's statement to the police, suggested that Cabey had been shot twice, but later reporting revealed that he had been shot only once in his left side.https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/26/opinion/c-correction-003743.html Correction The New York Times April 26, 1996 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160306190354/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/26/opinion/c-correction-003743.html March 6, 2016 Additionally, early reports suggested that the teenagers had approached Goetz carrying "sharpened" screwdrivers;Associated Press News https://apnews.com/article/e449319c84b17a613e23494f38295af7 Goetz Jury Asks To See Jacket, Screwdrivers Jerry Schwartz June 15, 1987 After the shootings, there were news reports that the teenagers had approached Goetz with sharpened screwdrivers. However, those reports were later found to be untrue. The tools were not sharpened, and the jury heard testimony that the screwdrivers – two of them carried by Cabey, one by Ramseur – were never taken out of their pockets. [And] Goetz, in taped statements, never once mentioned the screwdrivers or any other weapon .... February 24, 2023 February 24, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230224170108/https://apnews.com/article/e449319c84b17a613e23494f38295af7 live CITEREFSchwartz1987Jun15The Morning Call The Message About Guns Is Very Clear Editorial July 31, 1998 Each of the four thugs had a criminal record, and three were armed with screwdrivers sharpened into daggers. https://www.mcall.com/1998/07/31/the-message-about-guns-is-very-clear/ February 24, 2023 February 24, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230224170108/https://www.mcall.com/1998/07/31/the-message-about-guns-is-very-clear/ livehttp://nymag.com/nymetro/news/anniversary/35th/n_8601/ The Joy of Goetz New York Crouch Stanley Stanley Crouch April 7, 2003 live https://web.archive.org/web/20080902011058/http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/anniversary/35th/n_8601/ September 2, 2008 those reports, too, were found to be false: The screwdrivers—Cabey carried two and Ramseur carried one—were not sharpened and, based on the available testimony, were not removed from Cabey's or Ramseur's pockets—no witnesses reported seeing screwdrivers, and Goetz repeatedly denied he was threatened with them.Murray Andrew November 11, 2021 Kyle Rittenhouse Trial 'A Sham at Best,' Subway Vigilante Bernie Goetz Says: 'Satisfy a Mob' https://www.foxnews.com/us/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-sham-subway-vigilante-bernie-goetz January 31, 2022 Fox News en-US January 30, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220130162228/https://www.foxnews.com/us/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-sham-subway-vigilante-bernie-goetz live When Canty testified at Goetz's criminal trial, he said they were to be used to break into video arcade change boxes and not as weapons.https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/02/nyregion/goetz-shooting-victim-says-youths-weren-t-threatening.html Goetz Shooting Victim Says Youths Weren't Threatening The New York Times May 2, 1987 Johnson Kirk live https://web.archive.org/web/20171104043628/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/02/nyregion/goetz-shooting-victim-says-youths-weren-t-threatening.html November 4, 2017 Johnson1987May02 Supporters viewed Goetz as a hero for standing up to his attackers and defending himself in an environment where the police were increasingly viewed as ineffective in combating crime.https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/07/nyregion/angry-citizens-in-many-cities-supporting-goetz.html Angry Citizens In Many Cities Supporting Goetz The New York Times January 7, 1985 Fein Esther B. live https://web.archive.org/web/20171128134910/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/07/nyregion/angry-citizens-in-many-cities-supporting-goetz.html November 28, 2017 The Guardian Angels, a volunteer patrol group of mostly Black and Hispanic teenagers,https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/10/nyregion/46th-street-restaurant-row-starts-guardian-angel-patrol.html 46th Street 'Restaurant Row' Starts Guardian Angel Patrol The New York Times June 10, 1988 Butterfield Fox Fox Butterfield live https://web.archive.org/web/20160310092734/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/10/nyregion/46th-street-restaurant-row-starts-guardian-angel-patrol.html March 10, 2016 collected thousands of dollars from subway riders toward a legal defense fund for Goetz. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a right-leaning civil rights organization, supported Goetz.Goetz Jury Did Not Endorse Vigilantism The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Rick Hampton May 18, 1987 CORE's director, Roy Innis (who had lost two of his sons to inner-city gun violence and would later be elected to the executive board of the NRAhttps://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16324652&ft=1&f=5 'Ricochet' Goes Behind Scenes of Gun Lobby November 15, 2007 NPR November 15, 2007 live https://web.archive.org/web/20090629195130/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16324652&ft=1&f=5 June 29, 2009 http://www.nrawinningteam.com/bios99/innis.html Roy Innis Re-Elected To NRA Board NRAwinningteam.com https://web.archive.org/web/20071013003459/http://www.nrawinningteam.com/bios99/innis.html October 13, 2007 ), offered to raise defense money, saying that Goetz was "the avenger for all of us".https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,956277,00.html Low Profile for a Legend Time January 25, 1985 John Leo John Leo Jack E. White live https://web.archive.org/web/20121102081858/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,956277-1,00.html November 2, 2012 A legal group founded by the NRA—the Firearms Civil Rights Legal Defense Fund—donated $20,000 to Goetz's defense. Harvard Professor of Government James Q. Wilson explained the broad sentiment by saying, "It may simply indicate that there are no more liberals on the crime and law-and-order issue in New York City, because they've all been mugged." Professor Stephen L. Carter bemoaned the public's initial reaction to the shooting, arguing, "The tragedy of the Goetz case is that a public barely aware of the facts was rooting for him to get away with it. The tragedy is that a public eager to identify transgressors in advance decided from the start that Mr. Goetz was a hero and that his black victims deserved what they got."Yale Law Journal When Victims Happen to Be Black Stephen L. Carter Stephen L. Carter 420–47 https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.13051/1530/When_Victims_Happen_to_be_Black.pdf?sequence=2 97 3 10.2307/796412 1988 796412 March 3, 2023 March 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230303203054/https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.13051/1530/When_Victims_Happen_to_be_Black.pdf?sequence=2 live424 While race was never explicitly mentioned at the criminal trial, Professor George P. Fletcher argued that Goetz's criminal-defense team—which referred to the men Goetz shot as "savages", "predators", and "vultures"—made a "covert appeal to racial bias", which, he argued "came out most dramatically in [a re-enactment] of the shooting."206–07 In the courtroom re-enactment, four "fit and muscular" Black members of the Guardian Angels were asked to portray the four teenagers Goetz shot and surround Goetz.206–07 Professor Bennett Capers agreed that the use of the four "large black men" to stand in for the "four black youths" was, effectively, a "backdoor race-ing".Notre Dame Law Review Evidence Without Rules Bennett Capers 2018 94 867–907 https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4826&context=ndlr March 7, 2023 December 18, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211218201034/https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4826&context=ndlr live887 As to the criminal verdict, Benjamin Hooks, director of the NAACP, called the outcome "inexcusable", adding, "It was proven—according to his own statements—that Goetz did the shooting and went far beyond the realm of self-defense. There was no provocation for what he did." Representative Floyd Flake agreed, saying, "I think that if a black had shot four whites, the cry for the death penalty would have been almost automatic."https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/18/nyregion/blacks-see-goetz-verdict-as-blow-to-race-relations.html Blacks See Goetz Verdict As Blow To Race Relations The New York Times June 18, 1987 Pitt David E. live https://web.archive.org/web/20161114180653/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/18/nyregion/blacks-see-goetz-verdict-as-blow-to-race-relations.html November 14, 2016 United States Attorney Rudolph Giuliani met with black political and religious leaders calling for a federal civil-rights investigation. C. Vernon Mason, an attorney and spokesperson for the group, said, "We have come to the Federal Government as black people traditionally have done to seek redress when it is clear that state and local authorities have either failed to act or are incapable of acting."https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/30/nyregion/us-attorney-meets-with-blacks-over-request-for-inquiry-on-goetz.html U.S. Attorney Meets With Blacks Over Request For Inquiry On Goetz The New York Times January 30, 1985 Chambers Marcia live https://web.archive.org/web/20171127172726/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/30/nyregion/us-attorney-meets-with-blacks-over-request-for-inquiry-on-goetz.html November 27, 2017 Chambers1985Jan30 After an investigation, Giuliani ultimately determined that Goetz had acted out of fear, which he distinguished from a "racial motivation".United Press International Manhattan U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani Monday Ruled Out Cates Ellan February 25, 1985 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/02/25/Manhattan-US-Attorney-Rudolph-Giuliani-Monday-ruled-out-a/7308478155600/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/20/nyregion/naacp-leader-seeks-federal-case-on-goetz.html N.A.A.C.P. Leader Seeks Federal Case On Goetz The New York Times June 20, 1987 Lyall Sarah Sarah Lyall live https://web.archive.org/web/20171104122642/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/20/nyregion/naacp-leader-seeks-federal-case-on-goetz.html November 4, 2017 In a 2007 interview with Stone Phillips of Dateline NBC, Goetz admitted that his fear may have been enhanced due to the fact that the four men he shot were black.Stone Phillips: 15 Years of Dateline Phillips Stone Stone Phillips NBC News July 2, 2007 https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19562622 November 17, 2019 May 23, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200523141535/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19562622 live Subsequent developments After reaching an all-time peak in 1990, crime in New York City dropped dramatically through the rest of the decade.Patrick A. Langan Matthew R. Durose The Remarkable Drop in Crime in New York City 2003 International Conference on Crime December 3–5, 2003 Rome, Italy https://www.scribd.com/doc/322928/Langan-rel live https://web.archive.org/web/20090430115832/http://www.scribd.com/doc/322928/Langan-rel April 30, 2009 New York City crime rates by 2014 were comparable to those of the early 1960s.http://gothamist.com/2015/01/01/nyc_murder_rate_drops_to_new_histor.php NYC Murder Rate Drops To New Historic Low In 2014 January 1, 2015 Jen Chung The Gothamist dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150118044924/http://gothamist.com/2015/01/01/nyc_murder_rate_drops_to_new_histor.php January 18, 2015 https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/new-york-city-murders-fall-but-the-police-arent-celebrating.html The New York Times J. David Goodman Al Baker Murders in New York Drop to a Record Low, But Officers Aren't Celebrating December 31, 2014 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170225071208/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/new-york-city-murders-fall-but-the-police-arent-celebrating.html February 25, 2017 Following the shooting, the four victims and their families received hate mail. Darrell Cabey fell into a coma after the shooting; he suffered irreversible brain damage and was paralyzed from the waist down. In 1985 an outstanding armed robbery charge against him was dropped when the Bronx district attorney determined he had the capacity of an 8-year-old. Goetz accused Cabey of exaggerating his injuries. In 1993, Goetz questioned Cabey as to his injuries in two depositions, to which Cabey was unable to elicit an answer longer than a single sentence; when asked, Cabey denied having previously heard the name "Bernie Goetz".Los Angeles Times For One Goetz Victim, Suffering Won't End : South Bronx: Youth Was Immobilized from the Waist Down, Fell into a Coma, Suffered Irreversible Brain Damage. Now 29, He Has the Mental Capacity of a Third-Grader. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-08-mn-17496-story.html McShane Larry January 8, 1995 March 10, 2023 March 10, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230310172225/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-08-mn-17496-story.html live Troy Canty entered drug-rehabilitation and vocational-training programs. One of Canty's attorneys, Scott H. Greenfield, reported that Canty planned to attend culinary school.The New York Times January 14, 1989 The Teen-Agers Goetz Shot: 4 Years Marked by Struggle Don Terry https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/14/nyregion/the-teen-agers-goetz-shot-4-years-marked-by-struggle.html March 10, 2023 March 10, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230310172226/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/14/nyregion/the-teen-agers-goetz-shot-4-years-marked-by-struggle.html live In March 1985, James Ramseur reported to police that two men apparently hired by Goetz kidnapped and attempted to murder him.http://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/27/nyregion/a-man-goetz-shot-is-charged-with-faking-own-abduction.html A Man Goetz Shot Is Charged With Faking Own Abduction The New York Times March 27, 1985 Raab Selwyn April 15, 2012 July 29, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200729121800/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/27/nyregion/a-man-goetz-shot-is-charged-with-faking-own-abduction.html live The following day, after detectives played back to Ramseur the emergency 911 recording reporting the kidnapping, Ramseur admitted it was his voice on the call and to fabricating the report. Ramseur explained it was merely to test police response when a Black person was a crime victim, and was not prosecuted for this hoax. Ramseur was convicted in 1986 of the rape and robbery of a young pregnant woman a year prior. Conditionally released in 2002, Ramseur returned to prison for a parole violation in 2005; he finished his sentence in July 2010.Weber Bruce James Ramseur, Victim of Bernhard Goetz Subway Shooting, Dies at 45 The New York Times December 24, 2011 https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/nyregion/james-ramseur-victim-of-bernhard-goetz-subway-shooting-dies-at-45.html June 25, 2018 December 25, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111225010512/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/nyregion/james-ramseur-victim-of-bernhard-goetz-subway-shooting-dies-at-45.html live On December 22, 2011, the shooting's 27th anniversary, James Ramseur died at age 45 of a drug overdose in an apparent suicide.https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2011/12/subway-vigilante-victim-killed-himself.html New York Coscarelli Joe 'Subway Vigilante' Victim Killed Himself on Anniversary of Shooting December 23, 2011 March 10, 2023 March 10, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230310172227/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2011/12/subway-vigilante-victim-killed-himself.html live In 1989, Barry Allen was charged with robbing a 58-year-old man of $54.The New York Times Associated Press https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/nyregion/goetz-victim-held-in-mugging.html March 7, 1989 Goetz Victim Held in Mugging March 13, 2023 March 11, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230311200124/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/07/nyregion/goetz-victim-held-in-mugging.html live In 1991, he was convicted and sentenced between 3.5 to 7 years.Los Angeles Times 3 Other Goetz Victims Move On, Two to Prison January 8, 1995 Associated Press https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-08-mn-17495-story.html March 12, 2023 March 12, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230312214202/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-08-mn-17495-story.html live Goetz achieved celebrity status after the shooting.The New York Times Bernard Goetz, Man in '84 Subway Shooting, Faces Marijuana Charges November 2, 2013 Schwirtz Michael https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/nyregion/bernard-goetz-man-in-84-subway-shooting-faces-marijuana-charges.html March 26, 2023 March 26, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230326163303/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/nyregion/bernard-goetz-man-in-84-subway-shooting-faces-marijuana-charges.html liveThe Washington Post Bernhard Goetz and the Roots of Kyle Rittenhouse's Celebrity on the Right Beumer Pia June 15, 2022 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/15/bernhard-goetz-roots-kyle-rittenhouses-celebrity-right/ March 26, 2023 July 6, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220706185347/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/15/bernhard-goetz-roots-kyle-rittenhouses-celebrity-right/ live In 2001, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of New York City; amongst other issues, Goetz advocated for a vegetarian menu in New York City schools, jails, and hospitals.The New Yorker A Jolly Green Giant https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/11/18/a-jolly-green-giant Halpern Jake November 10, 2002 March 27, 2023 March 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230327151710/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/11/18/a-jolly-green-giant liveCBS News Bernhard Goetz Arrested After Allegedly Selling Pot To Undercover Cop https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/bernhard-goetz-arrested-after-allegedly-selling-pot-to-undercover-cop/ November 2, 2013 March 27, 2023 March 27, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230327151710/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/bernhard-goetz-arrested-after-allegedly-selling-pot-to-undercover-cop/ live In 2004, Goetz was interviewed by Nancy Grace on Larry King Live, where he stated his actions were good for New York City and forced the city to address crime.http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/17/lkl.01.html Interview with 'Subway Vigilante' Bernhard Goetz Larry King Live December 17, 2004 live https://web.archive.org/web/20071212123753/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/17/lkl.01.html December 12, 2007 In 2005, Goetz unsuccessfully ran for public advocate; he described the subway shooting on his campaign website.Bernie Goetz for Public Advocate Bernie Goetz for Public Advocate http://bernieformayor.com/bioletters.html June 13, 2024 In late 2013, Goetz was arrested and apartment searched for allegedly attempting to sell marijuana to an undercover police officer. After Goetz's attorney moved for dismissal on speedy-trial grounds, a judge agreed that prosecutors took 14 days too long to prosecute the case, and it was dismissed in September 2014.http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/bernie-goetz-pot-dealing-case-tossed-article-1.1934786 Bernie Goetz Has Pot Dealing Case Tossed Because Prosecutors Took Too Long: Judge Paddock Barry September 10, 2014 New York Daily News 2692-1251 May 14, 2020 September 10, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140910190251/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/bernie-goetz-pot-dealing-case-tossed-article-1.1934786 live Goetz said after court, "I think an individual in this instance is under an obligation to throw as much sand in the mechanism as they can."2014-09-11 Bernie Goetz New York City pot sale case dismissed https://abc7ny.com/post/bernie-goetz-new-york-city-pot-sale-case-dismissed/303993/ 2026-07-31 ABC7 New York en In 2023, African-American civil rights leader Al Sharpton and former assistant district attorney Mark Bederow compared the Goetz case to the killing of Jordan Neely.https://apnews.com/article/subway-chokehold-new-york-87807c40386707ed665cfbfb339e08f9 Charges in NYC Chokehold Death May Hinge on 'Reasonableness' May 6, 2023 Offenhartz Jake AP News May 8, 2023 May 8, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230508021314/https://apnews.com/article/subway-chokehold-new-york-87807c40386707ed665cfbfb339e08f9 live https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/03/jordan-neely-death-new-york-city-subway Outrage in New York After the Killing of Jordan Neely on a Subway Train May 4, 2023 Helmore Edward The Guardian May 8, 2023 May 4, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504005924/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/03/jordan-neely-death-new-york-city-subway live In popular culture Bernie Goetz is mentioned in Billy Joel's 1989 song "We Didn't Start the Fire".All 119 References in "We Didn't Start the Fire," Explained https://www.britannica.com/list/all-119-references-in-we-didnt-start-the-fire-explained November 27, 2024 Matthias Meg In the 30 Rock episode "Subway Hero", Jack refers to Dennis Duffy as "the greatest New Yorker since Bernie Goetz".June 2026 The protagonist of the 2019 film Joker is partly inspired by Goetz.Bill Desowitz https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/joker-joaquin-phoenix-cesar-romero-bernard-goetz-1202179438/ 'Joker': How Cesar Romero and Bernhard Goetz Inspired Joaquin Phoenix's Look Indiewire Penske Media Corporation Los Angeles, California October 7, 2019 January 7, 2020 October 7, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191007235353/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/joker-joaquin-phoenix-cesar-romero-bernard-goetz-1202179438/ liveAlex Godfrey October 8, 2019 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/joker-true-crime-story-subway-vigilante-bernhard-goetz/ The 'Hero' Who'd Had Enough: How Subway Vigilante Bernhard Goetz Inspired Joker The Daily Telegraph London, England January 7, 2020 December 17, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191217191417/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/joker-true-crime-story-subway-vigilante-bernhard-goetz/ live Todd Phillips, who wrote, produced and directed the film, grew up in New York City and remembered the 1984 subway shooting from his youth. The board game The Subway Vigilante was inspired by the shooting and sold 40,000 copies.Kraft Joy 9 August 1987 Goetz and Contras are only a game to some https://newspaperarchive.com/dover-times-reporter-aug-09-1987-p-35/ Dover Times Reporter 35 See also 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting 2022 New York City Subway attack Vigilantism Self-defense List of shootings in New York Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial that Divided the Nation Notes References Further reading Roehrenbeck, Carol A. People Vs. Goetz: The Summations and the Charges to the Jury. (0-89941-657-8). https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/25/nyregion/callers-support-subway-gunman.html Callers Support Subway Gunman The New York Times December 25, 1984 Sanger David E. February 4, 2017 March 5, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160305134537/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/25/nyregion/callers-support-subway-gunman.html live CITEREFSanger1984Dec25 Williams, Elliot. Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation. New York: Penguin, 2026. 978-0-593-83370-4 External links 1249570 Bernhard Goetz Justice Stephen G. Crane Papers on the Bernhard Goetz Trial and Other Cases, 1981–2000, MS 3152, at the New-York Historical Society. y Bernhard Goetz Bernhard Goetz Category:1980s crimes in New York City Category:1980s in Manhattan Category:1984 crimes in the United States Category:1984 in New York City Category:1984 mass shootings in the United States Category:African-American history in New York City Category:African-American-related controversies Category:Controversies in New York (state) Category:Crimes in Manhattan Category:December 1984 in the United States Category:Mass shootings in New York City Category:New York City Subway crimes Category:Non-fatal shootings in the United States