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Cop Fatally Shoots Chair-Wielding Man in Brooklyn
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 14, 2008
Modified Nov 14, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 14, 2008
Modified Nov 14, 2008
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A police officer shot and killed a man "wielding a chair as a weapon" in Coney Island yesterday afternoon. According to WCBS 2, "the shooting happened outside a church used as a truancy center after a group of students inside reported seeing the man walk into the lot and attempt to break into a car."
When two police officers arrived, the man charged at the cops with a folding chair. The NY Times reports that he "kept moving toward" Officer Dawn Ortiz--in spite of being told in English and Spanish to drop the chair--and "was poised to strike her with the chair." When the man was perhaps a foot away, Ortiz fired her gun a single time, at the man's chest. He was pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital.
A police source told the Daily News, "We don't know who he is... He had no ID on him. All he had was a cell phone, and we're trying to trace him through that." Ortiz, who had to take the required Breathalyzer test (mandatory after the Sean Bell shooting), was doing "fine," according to a niece.
And the NYPD is investigating whether the shooting was within guidelines. According to the NY Times, "the use of deadly physical force" is permitted "when there is an immediate risk of death or serious injury to a police officer or someone else."
Tagged
brooklyn
chair
coney island
cop shooting
excessive force
shooting
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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