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| Killed by NYPD |
Witnesses say that police said nothing before firing a fatal shot, and that they saw his body drop to the pavement. Police say the shooting was accidental, and that the victim slammed into the cop without seeing him, causing an accidental discharge of the weapon. Other witnesses believe that the police officer thought the victim was one of the robbers, because he came running out without his hands up, in the same fashion as the store owner, who with his hands up, declared "They're robbing me! They're robbing me!"
Personally, I tend to believe the multiple witnesses in this case. It would not surprise me at all to learn that a cop was too quick to shoot, once again. He may have thought he was taking a shot at one of the "bad guys" but even if that were the case, you can't go shooting unarmed suspects just to make sure they don't flee. Not legally anyway, But cops are real cowboys, and this is not an unheard of practice at all, especially on the tough streets of the Bronx and in NYC.
Even if this were a genuine accidental discharge, it would appear that the officer was inept at not only securing his own weapon, but also in protecting himself. What if that innocent man had actually been the robber? The officer should have never let a suspect get that close to him to start with, within range to potentially struggle of the officer's weapon. Of course, it's all too east to Monday-morning quarterback the play by play, and these street scenes really are but split-seconds of chaos. But at the end of the day, the fact remains, that the police have killed yet another innocent hard-working American citizen.
You can read the article from the NY Daily News for more details.
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