Earlier this afternoon, the police shot a man who was threatening his mother with a knife because he refused to drop the blade. The suspect was shot three times in the torso, and police say his mother was also hit in the buttocks.
Cops Shoot Knife-Wielding Man (And His Mom) On Upper East Side
Grand Jury Clears Cop Who Shot Unarmed Marine Vet In His Home
A Westchester County grand jury has decided not to indict the White Plains officer who fatally shot an unarmed chronically ill elderly black man. There will be no trial for Officer Anthony Carelli, who shot Marine veteran Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. during a tense confrontation last November. “After due deliberation on the evidence presented in this matter, the grand jury found that there was no reasonable cause to vote an indictment,” said Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, who added that the case was “a tragedy on many levels.”
Four Cops Shot By Man Barricaded In Brooklyn Apartment
Early this morning, NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers were shot by a man who had barricaded himself—as well as his pregnant girlfriend and their baby—in a Brooklyn apartment. Mayor Bloomberg visited the officers, who are expected to survive, and said that when the girlfriend "managed to escape with the baby, the officers began to enter and the suspect opened fire. The officers returned fire, striking the suspect who is currently being treated at Kings County Hospital." The officers, whose injuries range from being grazed in the face to being shot twice in the leg, are expected to survive. And police say they found other illegal guns in the suspect's apartment.
Westchester DA Criticized For Handling Of Cop Who Shot Unarmed Black Marine Vet
This week, the Westchester District Attorney's Office announced they will present the case of an unarmed chronically ill elderly black man who was shot to death by White Plains police—who were supposed to have been there to help him—to a grand jury within the month. DA Janet DiFiore is getting criticized because of her initial reluctance to release the name of the officer who shot Marine veteran Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., White Plains Officer Anthony Carelli. “Janet DiFiore has continuously turned over investigations of questionable police actions of use of force back to the police department in question,” said Damon Jones, a New York rep for Blacks in Law Enforcement of America.
Cop Who Shot Unarmed Black Marine Vet Also On Trial In Separate Police Brutality Case
This week, the Westchester District Attorney's Office announced they will present the case of an unarmed chronically ill elderly black man who was shot to death by White Plains police—who were supposed to have been there to help him—to a grand jury within the month. Five months after that shooting, police finally revealed the name of the officer who shot Marine veteran Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr.—and it turns out that White Plains Officer Anthony Carelli is due in court later this month in a federal police brutality case.
Unarmed Black Marine Vet's 2011 Death By Police Will Get Grand Jury Probe
Last November, an unarmed chronically ill elderly black man was shot to death by White Plains police who were supposed to have been there to help him. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., a former Marine who suffered from a chronic heart condition and wore a pendant to signal LifeAid, had mistakenly triggered his medical alert—and although he told police he was fine, he ended up in an hour-long standoff with an officer screaming: "I don't give a f*** n*****, open the door." Police broke in and shot him with stun and beanbag guns—and now, four months after claiming the shooting was "justified" as self-defense, the Westchester District Attorney's Office announced they will present the case to a grand jury within the month.
NYPD Shoot Armed Suspect Twice In West Harlem Streets
Police critically wounded a man in West Harlem last night after he allegedly opened fire on one of the two officers who had been following him. The man, 23-year-old Franklyn Nunez, was shot twice, in the chest and upper thigh, but despite his wounds is currently listed in stable condition at Harlem Hospital, according to the NYPD.
Suspect Killed In Subway Station Was Wanted For Shooting Girlfriend's Daughter In Head
Yesterday's shootout in a Hamilton Heights subway station left a veteran NYPD detective wounded and a suspect dead. Police say that Michael McBride, 52, was wanted for shooting his girlfriend's daughter in the head on Monday, and police had been surveilling him. Then, apparently realizing that he was being tailed, McBride ran into the West 145th Street subway station and then started firing.
In Wake Of Unarmed Teen's Death, NYPD Adjusts "Deadly Force" Policy
As the NYPD is being scrutinized for killing an unarmed 18-year-old in his bathroom, the department has revised its "deadly use" policy. According to the Daily News, the NYPD "added a clause likely to give cops an added layer of legal protection."
Shooting In Harlem: Cop Shot, Suspect Killed At 145th & St. Nicholas
A police officer chasing a suspect in Harlem was shot around 4:20 p.m. this afternoon—and the suspect is dead. According to the Post, a Queens detective had been chasing a man into the subway station at West 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue when he was hit: "The officer was shot once in the left arm and rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, officials said. He is expected to survive, they said."
Al Sharpton Presses For Information In Senseless Crown Heights Shooting
The Reverend Al Sharpton has vowed to find out who killed 56-year-old Denise Gay, an innocent bystander who was shot and killed in a fierce Crown Heights shootout on Labor Day. "We don't know where the bullet was from," Sharpton said as he stood with the Gay family on Friday, "We know where it wasn't fromthe guy at the shootout. We will not give up until we find out what happened to Denise."
Surveillance Video Of Deadly Crown Heights Shooting Released
A day after the Daily News columnist Michael Daly (and a News editorial) demanded that the NYPD release video of the shooting between a murder suspect and police that left an innocent bystander dead, the NYPD has made the video public. It shows suspect Leroy Webster exiting a building on Park Place, shooting and killing Eusi Johnson, and then how police fire at Webster as he tries to reenter the building. However, it does not show slain neighbor Denise Gay, who may have been killed by a police bullet.
NYPD: Police Bullet Possibly Killed Innocent Bystander, But We'll Never Know
The violent Crown Heights shooting left two people dead—Eusi Johnson, who was allegedly killed by Leroy Webster, and Denise Gay, a neighbor sitting on her stoop. Webster's gunfire attracted police, who fired 73 times at him, hitting him twice. Initially police believed that one of Webster's shots killed Gay, but now ballistics tests reveal that the bullets do not match Webster's 9mm and they are more similar to bullets from a Glock—which is what the police use.
Holland Tunnel Shootout Suspects Were Carrying Heroin
Well, that explains it. Two suspects (yesterday reports said there were three) arrested for attempting to mow down a Port Authority cop were carrying heroin at the time, and were fleeing a drugstore robbery. Police stopped driver Jahaad Sanders, 19, and passenger Lorenzo Dease, 24, after they crossed five lanes of traffic to approach the tunnel. Sanders's foster mother said, "He's always had problems. He just came home from Rikers last year for holding up a drugstore in Manhattan."
Shootout Slows Holland Tunnel's Rush Hour Traffic
If you were stuck in your car for hours while trying to get into the city through the Holland Tunnel yesterday, here's why. A rogue driver reportedly tried to mow down a Port Authority cop outside the tunnel yesterday, leading the cop to chase the Jeep all the way to the New York side of the tunnel and shoot at the driver.
Man Shot Over 20 Times By Cops Will Sue NYPD
Last summer, 50 bullets were fired during a chaotic Harlem block party—and 46 were from police guns. One man, Luis Soto, died from a police bullet and another, Angel Alvarez, was shot at least 23 times, mostly from the police. Yesterday, a grand jury decided against bringing criminal charges against the police, but Alvarez is looking to sue the NYPD. His lawyer said, "It appears their mentality was: Shoot first and ask questions later."
Bloomberg Visits Elderly Man Accidentally Shot By Cop
On Saturday, a police officer, who was attempting to execute a warrant for Bronx resident Alberto Colon, accidentally shot Colon's 76-year-old father. Jose Colon, who was shot in the stomach, is in stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center and was reportedly visited by Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. But why did Officer Andrew McCormack—whose own father was a NYPD officer shot in the line of duty—accidentally discharge his gun? Well, it turns out he was actually trying to get his flashlight.
Sean Bell's Fiancee To Pick Up Support From Unions, Pols
Nicole Paultre Bell will be outside the Municipal Building this morning, picking up endorsements from a number of unions and elected officials. The 26-year-old, whose fiance Sean Bell was killed in a fusillade of police gunfire hours before their wedding in 2006, is running for a City Council seat in Queens that was left vacant when Councilman Thomas White died in August. She told the NY Times last week, “In a million years, I never would have imagined this would have happened to my family. But I’m a strong woman trying to persevere — this was my calling."
Why Can't Cops Shoot to Wound?
Two recent incidents in which police officers neutralized perps without killing them has City Room wondering if officers are encouraged to avoid kill shots. The short answer: Hell no! "Police officers are instructed to aim for center mass," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne explains. "You are looking to stop the individual, and that is the largest target." Center mass means the "head and torso," and a former commander of the NYPD's firearms training section says, "You can’t just shoot to aim for a leg or an arm; it just doesn’t work... Annie Oakley does not exist." We feel so disillusioned!
Shooting At Chase Bank Near MSG
WABC 7 reports, "One man was injured in a possible police involved shooting at a bank at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan. The person was shot at the Chase Bank, at Penn Plaza just before 12:45 p.m." The bank is on 7th Avenue, near 31st Street, at 2 Penn Plaza. We hear the victim may have been robbing the bank when police approached him and he may have pulled a knife. He was apparently in "not likely" to die condition and was transported to Bellevue; two cops were also taken there.
Cop "Followed Procedure" In Fatal Shooting Of ATV Rider
The Pelham Manor chief of police says that the police officer who fatally shot a man after following him from the Westchester suburb into the Bronx followed police procedure. According to the Journal News, Pelham Manor Police Officer Kenneth Stretz spotted the ATV on Boston Post Road at 5:51 p.m. on Sunday—"It is not legal to drive an ATV on a public street"—and pursued Harlem resident Wardell Johnson into the Bronx. And, after the ATV ran out of gas and he tried to flee by running into a backyard, two witnesses told the NYPD that they saw Johnson trying to choke Stretz and take the cop's gun.
After ATV Chase, Cop Fatally Shoots Man In The Bronx
Last night, a man who had been driving an ATV in the Bronx was fatally shot by a police officer. According to WABC 7, the shooting occurred "near Edson Avenue and Boston Road in Baychester. An officer from Westchester County chased the man from Pelham Manor into the Bronx, after spotting him on the 4-wheeler." Witnesses say the victim, Wardell Johnson, 43, had been in a "violent struggle" with the cop.
Police-Involved Shooting In Inwood
According to WABC 7, there was a police-involved shooting in upper Manhattan this morning at Vermilyea Avenue & West 204th Street, "Authorities say someone pulled a knife on an officer and so the officer opened fire, shooting the suspect. No word on that person's condition. A large crowd formed at the scene. There was a police mobilization response with more than 100 officers from across Manhattan showing up to help maintain calm."
Sean Bell's Fiancée Will Run For City Council
After some speculation, Nicole Paultre Bell will run for Thomas White's City Council seat. She confirmed her decision to the Daily News and said of her fiancé Sean Bell's death during a fusillade of 51 police bullets hours before their wedding, "What happened to me four years ago - I didn't expect that to happen. This is what life threw my way. It made me realize that there are serious problems out there."
Harlem Shooting Victims Prep To Sue City
Two men who claim they were injured by police during the wild shootout in Harlem in early August have filed notices of claim to sue the city. Devon Riley says he suffered a fractured elbow, and Kirt Liburd says he suffered a laceration to his head, during the chaotic street-clearing shooting, in which 46 bullets were fired by police.
Harlem Shooting Victim Faces Weapons Charges, Not Manslaughter
The man who suffered at least 21 gunshot wounds (from police guns) during a chaotic Harlem block party will only face weapons charges. Angel Alvarez, 23, had been arrested for manslaughter as well as weapons charges, but the Daily News reports, "Prosecutors didn't press the top charge against him because the witnesses who say he fired on cops are other officers who have not agreed to waive immunity and testify, sources said."
Week After Being Shot 21 Times, Man Arrested in Harlem Shooting
Yesterday, after Angel Alvarez left the hospital where he was recovering from 21 gunshot wounds received during a Harlem block party on August 8, police arrested him for attempted murder, attempted assault and other charges related to the very same shooting. (However, it's believed that the man who did die, Luis Soto, was killed from a police officer's bullet during the chaotic scene where 50 shots were fired.)
Funeral For Harlem Shooting Victim Today
Funeral services were scheduled this morning for Luis Soto, the 22-year-old man killed during a chaotic shooting in Harlem early Sunday morning. Soto and another man, Angel Alvarez, got into a fight and between the two of them, a gun emerged. The shots attracted other police officers, who, after reportedly being fired upon, fired 46 shots. Soto, who was shot multiple times, apparently died from a police bullet while Alvarez suffered over 21 gunshot wounds. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "We have witnesses that say that Luis Soto had a gun. We have witnesses that say there was a struggle with Alvarez over the gun and witnesses that say Angel Alvarez had the gun in his possession."
A Victim In Chaotic Harlem Shooting Will Sue For $20 Million
One of the victims injured in the early Sunday morning shooting at a Harlem block party where 46 of the 50 bullets fired were from police officers will be suing the city and NYPD for $20 million. But the guy who is suing isn't the man who was shot at least 21 times—it's a man who was shot in the leg. Larry Garlick blames the police's "contagious shooting" for his injury.
Police Find Cash Stash In Harlem Shooting Victim's Home
As scrutiny continues over the fatal police-involved shooting during a Harlem block party where 46 of the 50 bullets fired were from cops, the police have seized drugs and cash from the home of the deceased man as well as a man who survived at least 21 gunshots. The Daily News reports, "Cops searched the homes of [Luis] Soto and [Angel] Alvarez Tuesday, seizing numerous small bags of pot from Soto's apartment and $87,000 in cash along with plastic bags with what appeared to be cocaine residue from Alvarez's bedroom, a police official said."

