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 from—the guy at the shootout. We will not give up until we find out what happened to Denise." more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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! more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

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.) more ›

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." more ›

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. more ›

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." more ›

The Queens cop who shot her girlfriend twice in their Harlem apartment Monday morning is claiming self-defense, and it looks like prosecutors believe her. Ekeythia Dunston, an eight-year NYPD veteran, was beaten with a clothing iron on the head by her girlfriend Erica LeGall during the fracas, which erupted when Dunston received a "racy" text message from another woman. Dunston's lawyer tells the Daily News, "Her head was almost split open. It was a domestic dispute that escalated, and she had to defend herself. I think it is safe to say this relationship is over." Tell that to Hiram and Karla! more ›

The medical examiner's office says that the bullet that killed a man at a Harlem block party early Sunday morning likely came from a police officer's gun. At least 50 shots were fired—mostly from the police—during the chaos, and six others were injured. Initially police said that Luis Soto, 21, was killed by Angel Alvarez (their fight initially drew police attention); Alvarez himself suffered 21 gun shots and survived. Now the Manhattan DA's office plans to present the police shooting to a grand jury. more ›

The events of the early Sunday morning shooting that left one man dead and at least six—including two cops—injured in Harlem are still being investigated. So far, this is known: At least 50 bullets were fired; 46 came from cops; one of the cops was hit by a police bullet; one civilian victim is in critical condition after suffering 21 bullet wounds. Police spokesman Paul Browne said of the five cops—two uniformed, three plainclothes—"Officers were converging from different areas in a tumultuous situation." A witness said, "We got out of a cab, and it just sounded like Vietnam out here." more ›

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told reporters last week that his 20-year-old daughter's shoplifting arrest was a "private matter. And, it's going to stay that way." But the Daily News columnist Michael Daly questions Giuliani's bid to keep his family business quiet, pointing out how the tough-on-crime mayor released the juvenile record of an unarmed man killed by police in 2000: more ›

Around 2:30 a.m. this morning, a shooting broke out at 144th Street and Lenox Avenue, leaving one man dead and two civilians and two police officers injured. The Daily News reports, "Witnesses said the incident unfolded after cops tried to disperse 500 people attending a barbecue held in memory of a recent slaying victim." Apparently two men got into a fight; what happened next is still under investigation. more ›

A lawyer said that the city's $3.25 million payment to settle the wrongful death lawsuit of Sean Bell, who was killed in a hail of 50 bullets hours before his wedding, was the largest payout for a police shooting. According to Newsday, "The Bell settlement in the Brooklyn federal court case topped recoveries by Amadou Diallo ($3 million), Ousmane Zongo ($3 million) and Patrick Dorismond ($2 million), three other men who died in notorious police shooting cases in the city." more ›

The city reached a settlement with the family of Sean Bell, who was fatally shot by the police on the eve of his wedding in November 2006. His family will receive $3.25 million; his friends Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, who also injured from the 50 shots fired by undercover police, will receive $3 million and $900,000 respectively. The NYC Law Department Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo said, "The Sean Bell shooting highlighted the complexities our dedicated officers must face each day. The City regrets the loss of life in this tragic case, and we share our deepest condolences with the Bell family." more ›

A police officer involved in the 2006 shooting of Sean Bell, the Queens man who was killed in a barrage of police bullets hours before his wedding, is now suing Bell's estate. The Post reports, "Police Officer Michael Carey's lawsuit says Bell was boozed-up when he got behind the wheel of the car after his bachelor party on Nov. 25, 2006, and also claims the doomed groom failed to wear glasses or contact lenses despite having poor eyesight." more ›

WABC 7 reports that cops fired at an 18-year-old allegedly wielding a machete in front of 492 Gates Avenue in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. "The 18-year-old reportedly ignored their orders to drop the weapon."—they reportedly identified themselves—"The officers say they opened fire when he started moving toward them, shooting the man in the leg." The suspect is in stable condition at Kings County Hospital. Recently, a bill proposing that cops shoot to wound, instead of shooting to kill, was proposed, prompting Police Commissioner Kelly to invite City Council members to fire weapons at the police shooting range to show how difficult that would be. more ›

A 911 call about a burglary in Marine Park yesterday led to gunfire and the suspect taking his own life, according to police. Cops were called to Quentin Road, a suburban, tree-lined street, around 6:20 p.m., encountering the suspect as he left a house on the corner of East 37th Street. Police say the man opened fire, and an NYPD sergeant fired back, hitting him in the leg. He then ran around the corner, and police say that's when they heard another gun shot. more ›