An NYPD officer apparently thought it was funny to mock a man while watching his dying moments, continuing a string of death-related controversies within the already disgraced police department.
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A Brooklyn man, who was not immediately publicly identified, was shot dead during an altercation with police on Monday. Cops were reportedly on patrol when they noticed a male they labeled suspicious because he has allegedly been wandering around the neighborhood wearing a mask.
“When the 3 officers who were inside their patrol car attempted to speak to the man he immediately fled toward 788 Howard Avenue one officer exited the vehicle and the other two drove onto Howard Avenue, the perpetrator fired numerous rounds at the their vehicle, striking it,” NYPD Chief Terry Monahan said during a press conference.
A police helicopter captured a gunfight and showed the shooting victim fall to the ground in a home’s backyard. He was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. In a video showing the helicopter footage, an NYPD officer could be heard laughing as the man lay on the ground dying.
“That’s one less asshole to sue us,” the officer joked in poor taste with fellow cops who were also watching the footage.
The officer in question has not been identified, but according to the DailyMail, the cops viewing the footage were not the helicopter pilots.
“The shooting was justified. But he screwed up the whole department with his negative comment,” a source told the DailyMail.
An NYPD spokesperson said the video was under review.
This incident follows another controversy in the wake of the firing of Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer accused of murdering Eric Garner by applying an illegal chokehold in 2014, last month.
According to CBS New York, felony arrests were down by 11 percent while misdemeanor arrests plunged by 17 percent following Pantaleo’s firing. Though there was speculation that the slowdown was caused by officers who were angered by Pantaleo’s termination, NYPD officials were not quick to confirm that theory. But for the police union calling for NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill‘s resignation, the aforementioned theory may not be too far-fetched.
“For years, Mayor de Blasio has demonized police officers and undermined our efforts to protect our city. For years, Commissioner O’Neill has cravenly acquiesced to the Mayor and his anti-cop allies,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said in August. “Neither can hope to regain the trust or confidence of New York City police officers. They must resign or be fired.”
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