September 30, 2007
Harlem Shooting Victim Had Checkered Past
The 25-year-old man shot and killed by police Friday evening had a troubled history with the law and an official review of the shooting by the NYPD concluded that its officers acted properly. Plainclothes police approached Ronald Battle Friday night around 11 p.m., while responding to a complaint that two armed men were outside the Rangel Houses development on Harlem River Drive. Battle ran when he saw the police and attempted to enter one of the housing project's buildings where he lives. Unable to enter, Battle jumped over a fence. Cops say that Battle pulled a gun and when he refused to drop it one of the officers fired four shots at him, hitting him once in the back and killing him. A loaded 9mm pistol was found next to his body.
It was not Battle's first encounter with police. He had previously served 4 1/2 years in prison for attempted robbery. At the time of his death, he was facing charges of stabbing two women and attacking a third with a hammer at a party earlier this year. Battle, whose nickname was Korrupt according to the Daily News, had been arrested seven times in the past, including the 1998 arrest that led to his prison term. The stabbings and hammer attack were allegedly against a group of lesbians who Battle suspected of hitting on his girlfriend at a party. Battle's relatives were dissatisfied with the conclusion that his death fell within departmental guidelines. The News reports that as friends and family surrounded a makeshift memorial for Battle made of candles and empty Corona bottles, a visitor from Hartford said that cops acted unfairly by drawing their guns. Neither officer had ever fired his weapon previously while on duty.
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Re: Harlem Shooting...
In the article, several points are noted...
...Cops say that Battle pulled a gun and when he refused to drop it one of the officers fired four shots at him, hitting him once in the back and killing. A loaded 9mm pistol was found next to his body....He had previously served 4 1/2 years in prison for attempted robbery.
If foresnic tests show that his fingerprints are on the gun, then that should be conclusive proof that he was caught trying to escape.
IS a police officer supposed to be killed before the suspect is brought to justice?
Why is he being made a Martyr?
What would his relatives wanted? Under what circumstances (according to them) would the police be justified in using deadly physical force against someone who's holding a gun & pointing it at an officer??
His past conviction doesn't even come into play here, unless one of the Officers recognized him & knew that he had served time in prison.
If you were a police officer, responding to a report of a man with a gun, saw someone, asked them to stop (and they disobeyed your order) then pulled a gun out and pointed it at you, what would you do??
nice looking ruger.
A memorial with empty Corona bottles? Classy.
And the family can be in denial all they'd like, but pulling a gun on a cop is pulling a gun on a cop.
bullets are cheaper for tax payers than court and jail. so be it.
"a visitor from Hartford said that cops acted unfairly by drawing their guns."
At 11 at night in a bad neighborhood, if cops are answering a call, I'd assume it's a dangerous one. If a cop pulls a gun on me in such a situation, I'd stop and make no sudden moves. Being wrongfully stopped and questioned beats being wrongfully killed. Anyone remember Amadou Diallo? The cops had it right this time. The Hartford visitor should go back to Hartford, where apparently cops don't need to use their weapons if a suspect pulls a gun on them.
that's OK with me, another one will take his place,
in the ghetto.
Have you ever been to Hartford?
It makes the south Bronx and Harlem look like they're gentrified.
now he won't sponge off the tax payers anymore.
My condolences to the Battle family, but the streets of New York are safer tonight.
Did you guys not notice that these were plaincloathes cops? At 11 at night in a bad neighborhood, the way in which they "approached" him probably had a huge impact on his response.
Oh my, they killed the colored young fella in the back? Oh well...
Esther from Yorkville
#10 You are one dumb fuck.
The dude was an ex-con walking the streets with a gun. They are not suppose to do that. Even if he didn't point the gun at the cops he deserved to die simply for being such a dumb fuck. What did you expect from him? Getting his equivalency diploma from his K-5 school and running for president of his class? Where was his father when all this shit went down? Probably doing 15 to 20 up in Danemora.
Great job NYPD! You saved taxpayers a bunch of money.
I guess he wont be hitting on chicks anymore.
meanwhile the white guy who raped that lil blond 4 year old girl is still out there. he made sure she looked extra sexy wearing a leopard print nightie.
he raped her lil hairless vag good. She's eight now and that tape was made when the girl was four.
Another brother shot dead? I'm so there.
test
Oh, BS, #10. Read the article in the News. They showed their badges, IDed themselves as cops. If they were robbers or gang members, they wouldn't have been shouting "drop it." They would have just blown his head off before he even got the gun out. Face it, the guy was slime with a long rap sheet and he wouldn't have gone quietly if the police had just come up and said, "pretty please with sugar on it."
I am appalled by the flippant, dismissive comments made by gothamist readers. They are steeped in ignorance and racist assumptions.
You are saying that, not only was it ok for this person to be murdered by the police, it was a good thing. He [people "like him"] deserves to die [for "OUR" sake] is the subtext.
Somehow, the cops killing this man affirms your sense of safety, but in reality, it does not affect your life in any way, except to, in some really twisted way, make you feel better.
On the other hand, this man, his family, friends, and community are affected directly.
There is a whole set of dynamics related to race and class that are never discussed in these cases.
Your ability to leave such arrogant, ignorant comments has EVERYTHING to do with your race and class, and Battle's life and death also have EVERYTHING to do with his race and class - things that he did not choose but had to suffer the consequences of.
The police, the NYPD, in particular, are notorious for monitoring, abusing and murdering members of specific communities - black men in particular. Who's to say Battle wasn't defending himself? He was shot in the BACK -
It's insulting and disturbing how easily you dismiss another man's life. With a few keystrokes you've affirmed and perpetrated the assumptions that men, "the colored young fellas," in particular, deserve to be killed - so that taxpayers can save money and citizens can feel safe. Come on, do you really think that is true?
Thanks for being completely blind to the reality of race and class, especially in NYC. Your complete ignorance and uncritical thinking is preserving the warped percpetions that made horrific institutions like slavery, lynching, and American aparthied permissible and justified.
"They" deserve it, right?
I am appalled by the flippant, dismissive comments made by gothamist readers. They are steeped in ignorance and racist assumptions.
You are saying that, not only was it ok for this person to be murdered by the police, it was a good thing. He [people "like him"] deserves to die [for "OUR" sake] is the subtext.
Somehow, the cops killing this man affirms your sense of safety, but in reality, it does not affect your life in any way, except to, in some really twisted way, make you feel better.
On the other hand, this man, his family, friends, and community are affected directly.
There is a whole set of dynamics related to race and class that are never discussed in these cases.
Your ability to leave such arrogant, ignorant comments has EVERYTHING to do with your race and class, and Battle's life and death also have EVERYTHING to do with his race and class - things that he did not choose but had to suffer the consequences of.
The police, the NYPD, in particular, are notorious for monitoring, abusing and murdering members of specific communities - black men in particular. Who's to say Battle wasn't defending himself? He was shot in the BACK -
It's insulting and disturbing how easily you dismiss another man's life. You justify the murder with flimsy assumptions and twisted logic. With a few keystrokes you've affirmed and perpetrated the assumptions that men, "the colored young fellas," in particular, deserve to be killed - so that taxpayers can save money and citizens can feel safe. Come on, do you really think that is true?
Thanks for being completely blind to the reality of race and class, especially in NYC. Your complete ignorance and uncritical thinking is preserving the warped perceptions that made horrific institutions like slavery, lynching, and American aparthied permissible and justified.
"They" deserved it, just like this guy, right?
Thatwasit, I agree with most of things you say, except when you say Battle's life and death had everything to do with his race and class. Some people of Mr. Battle's race and class do not commit crimes, nor run from policemen with loaded guns. I think it's important to respect those people.
I bet those ghetto lesbians are ravenous - I don't blame the guy for setting them straight. I often notice these "Queen Latifah" types on the subways in control mode with little young hotties...
he did bring it upon himself given his actions and with the evidence lined up how it is there's no way the nypd can be found at fault. that said, if another cop is the witness to the cop identifying himself then what good is that? and i have seen the undercover cops in harlem at night...shit is real and they don't necessarily ID themselves before making the apprehension. that's why they're undercover. it's a tricky, dangerous situation
This guy was going to school to turn his life around, he was one week away from getting his GED. Sure he was a little misguided in the past but he had aspirations to become a NYPD police officer. It was his dream to legally gun down people.
Grammy always said not to look at a colored man straight in the eye - lest you want to be hustled in some form or another...
Hahaha, thatwasit1980 must be new to Gothamist.
Anyway, the cop that shot Battle is reportedly on desk duty pending a grand jury decision on the events as reported. Is that really S.O.P. for what's deemed a clean shoot?
thatwasit1980 = faggot
HE AINT EVEN DO NUTTIN.
WHY THEY DO HIM LIKE THAT!!!!!
Did any humans get injured in the shootout or was it limited to animals?
thatwasit1980, your argument is basically that because Battle was black and poor his crimes are excusable. Rather than being a waste of space here, why don't you write your local congressman and propose a law that allows black men to beat and stab women as long as they can prove their income is below the poverty line?
#25: Yep, after every shooting- good, bad or accidental, your guns are taken away pending the outcome of the investigation, and you are put on admin duty since you don't have your guns.
i was there when mr. battle was killed...im the vistor from harford who witnessed the whole thing! and they had no reason to kill him.. so people who got something 2 say about it.. kick rocks... people shouldnt talk if they dont know what they are talkin about.. mind your business
mr. battle didnt even have a gun on him.. he was running while holding his pants up and he never turned and looked @ the cops... how do u think he got shot in the back.. if he was attempting to shoot the cop.. whouldnt he had been shot in the chest.. so dont tell me it was justified if u werent there 2 witness it.. and i thank you mr. sharpton for taking the time out 2 speak up for the residents of Rangel Houses and also for every black person who was wrongfully killed, beaten or hurt in any kind of way by any police officers... it was wrong.. completly wrong...i was there and i saw the whole thing.. and i hope that cop gets brought to justice... cuz it was wrong!
i knew ronald we were friends we lived in the same building 1 floor apart and its sad to see the racist comments put on the net by some of you people. whether he had a gun or not they shot that man in his back so how is that protecting and serving with woman and children outside. i knew ronald he didnt beat on his girlfriend thats all the media trying to justify why that cop shot him to th world its just another death another man gone " they dont know he was my friend " :'( RIP kurupt
I believe the spellin' of the bro's nickname be "Korupt" not being ur mispellin "kurupt." But den again I not spend no time at the big house wit duh dude like u did #33.
While one's checkered past could have great influence on the public's opinion, the media again has failed in presenting an unbiased detailed story....Eyewitnesses have a different view..Ronald Battle was shot in the back with his hands in the air...The autopsy will confirm this..The plainclothed officer who shot Ronald ran in the opposite direction after he fired his gun and saw that Ronald was down. There was a delay in which the paramedics were called because the police knew that Ronald was dead on the scene. His clothing were cut from his body to see if he was carrying a gun, when supposely a gun was found on the scene. The paramedics pronounced Ronald dead at the scene..Why wasn't his body left at the scene until the coroner came? The police placed a neck brace around his head and put him into the ambulance with the officer who shot him knowing that he was dead..Is this proper departmental procedure or a cover up? Ronald was someone's father, son, brother, uncle and friend. Keep in mind, Ronald served his time for the crimes he was convicted on and the latest incident was still pending. Guilt has not been established. Regardless of how the media has portrayed Ronald to be a societal misfit living in the housing projects with a street name of "Korrupt", Ronald was a human being who was shot dead in the back. He was not an animal!!!!I don't doubt for a minute that his prints will show up the gun, but with modern technology in forensics science, it will be interesting to see if the fingerprints are those of a guntoting criminal or those of a dead man who was left alone in the back of the ambulance with the officer who took his life.