Police officer Rafael Lora faces up to 15 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of second-degree manslaughter for a 2007 shooting. Lora was off-duty when he confronted a driver who crashed his minivan into other cars on a Bronx Street. Believing that Fermin Arzu was reaching for a gun—and claiming that Arzu hit him and that he was being dragged by the vehicle— Lora shot Arzu, who later died. The cop had opted for a bench trial, instead of a jury trial; his lawyer had said he "acted professionally and was justified on the night in question." more ›

A judge is deliberating the fate of a police officer who, while off-duty, fatally shot a drunk driver outside his home in the Bronx. In May 2007, cop Rafael Lora confronted Fermin Arzu, who had just crashed his minivan into other cars on the street. Believing that Arzu was reaching for a gun—and claiming that Arzu hit him and that he was being dragged by the vehicle— Lora shot Arzu, who later died. Prosecutors say Lora was free when he fired at Arzu. Lora, who opted for a bench trial, does not face jail time because Bronx prosecutors lowered the charges from first-degree manslaughter to second-degree manslaughter, which carries 11 years probation. Lora testified he was so upset that he couldn't even call 911. Arzu's family's lawyer said, "Frankly rather than acting like a heroic officer to render aid, [Lora] acted with a chicken heart." more ›

The off-duty police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Bronx man earlier this year was indicted on manslaughter charges. The indictment will be unsealed today, and police officer Raphael Lora will be arraigned. Manslaughter has a maximum penalty of 25 years. On a May night, Lora ran outside of his home when a minivan, driving the wrong way on the street, crashed into a car on the street. Lora chased the minivan, which was... more ›

The funeral of Fermin Arzu was not as much a memorial as an event to condemn his death at the hands of an off-duty police officer - we think. As a husband, father, and uncle was being remembered, community activists and the media were conducting a referendum on racial relations and police conduct. Comparisons were drawn between Arzu's shooting and that of Sean Bell, who was killed in a hail of police gunfire in November of last year. Bell's fiancée (Bell was killed the day before his wedding) actually attended Arzu's funeral yesterday and was escorted there by the Reverend Al Sharpton. Sharpton also gave the eulogy; he said, "Mr. Arzu came to this country to pursue the American dream. He ended up being the American nightmare." more ›

The Friday night shooting of an unarmed driver in the Bronx has sparked more tension between the NYPD and community. The victim, Fermin Arzu, who was shot by an off-duty police officer in the Longwood section of the Bronx, was an immigrant from the Honduras, and the senior Honduran diplomat, Javier Hernandez, criticized the police in the NY Times: "The police cannot shoot crazily or indiscriminately. Before, there was courtesy, now there is intimidation, and I think it should be the other way around." more ›

Late Friday night, a confrontation between an off-duty police officer and a minivan driver ended with the driver dead. This is what police and witnesses say happened: Fermin Arzu, 41, was driving a Nissan Quest minivan on the wrong side of Longwood Road in the Bronx. The minivan hit a parked Mitsubishi Montero SUV, which then hit another parked car. Off-duty police officer Raphael Lora, who works in the Manhattan transit force and lives on the street, came out of his house and chased the minivan. more ›