Death of Anthony Baez

A documentary film, Every Mother's Son, profiling the mothers of three men killed by the NYPD and their legal and political efforts, was made in 2004, about the cases of Gidone Busch, Amadou Diallo and Baez.

In 2000 the street where Baez died was renamed Anthony Baez Place.

On June 26, 1998, Livoti was convicted in Manhattan's Federal Court of violating Anthony Baez's civil rights, and was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison. Livoti was released in April 2005, after serving six and a half years.

In March 1995, a Bronx grand jury indicted Livoti on charges of manslaughter in the second degree. Homicide charges were initially thrown out after an indictment with an incorrect charge was noted.

In December 1995, Livoti was reindicted for criminally negligent homicide. Livoti's trial began in September 1996. He had waived his right to a jury trial and instead opted to have the case heard solely by a judge. In October 1996, Officer Francis Livoti was acquitted by former New York Supreme Court justice Judge Jerry Sheindlin. The acquittal was greeted with widespread public outcry and unrest, including the shooting of a police captain (who survived) in an act of "revenge".

Baez's widow filed a $13 million wrongful death claim in 1995. She settled with the NYPD for $3 million in October 1998.

Federal prosecutors charged Livoti with civil rights violations, similar to cases brought against Los Angeles police officers Stacey C. Koon and Laurence Powell for the beating of Rodney King. Officer Daisy Boria was considered a distant relative of the Baezes and was present at his arrest in 1994. She contradicted three of her fellow police officers, including her partner. Boria had testified that she saw no confrontation between Livoti and Baez. However, in 1987, she had been indicted on perjury charges by the Manhattan District Attorney for lying about an insurance case. She was later acquitted. In 2003, disciplinary charges were brought against two other officers, Mario Erotokritou and Anthony Farnan, involved in the death of Anthony Baez. Both officers were summarily dismissed.

The death of Anthony Baez created wide media attention. Baez's death was seized on by people who said that the police are too quick to use deadly force. This was the third and most notable incident involving NYPD police brutality in 1994, and in some previous cases the officers were acquitted.

Anthony Ramon Baez (September 20, 1965 – December 22, 1994) was a security guard who died immediately following an altercation with police on December 22, 1994, at the age of 29. His death occurred early in the morning on Cameron Place in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx, New York. The fatal encounter began when Anthony Baez and his brothers accidentally hit a police car with their football, at approximately 1:30 am. The Baez brothers continued their game, playing in the opposite direction. Officer Francis Livoti arrested David Baez first for disorderly conduct. He then attempted to arrest Anthony Baez, who had protested his brother's arrest by crossing his arms in front of his chest. A scuffle ensued, while other officers arrived on scene. Baez was subdued, lost consciousness, and was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead of asphyxiation. Controversy centered over the extent to which officers contributed to his death, specifically whether he was subjected to an illegal choke hold used by Officer Francis Livoti.