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Cops Kill Man Who Called 911 To Express His Desire To Kill Cops
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 4, 2010
Modified Oct 4, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 4, 2010
Modified Oct 4, 2010
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Early Sunday morning, Inwood resident Emmanuel Paulino called 911 and told the operator, "I want you to call the cops cause I'm ready to kill." Paulino, 24, was reportedly in a fight with his girlfriend around 5:30 a.m., and called 911 to commit "suicide by cop," according to one police source. Here's the transcript of the 911 call:
911 Operator: 911 Operator, where is your emergency?
Suspect: Yeah, I want you to call the cops cause I'm ready to kill.
911 Operator: What?
Suspect: I'm ready to kill some cops right now.
911 Operator: You're ready to kill some cops? Where are you?
Suspect: Yeah, 121 Vermilyea, New York, I'm right here, outside.
Operator: OK so what's going on there?
Suspect: Yeah, I'm ready to kill cops right now.
Operator: Oh, ok
Suspect: Ok, yeah, get em, I'm (Inaudible) I'll be right here!
When police responded to the scene, they found Paulino outside his apartment in a heated argument with his girlfriend. "Stay out of my business!" he yelled at police, and investigators tell ABC they have surveillance video of Paulino brandishing a four-inch "survival knife." Police say that when he refused to put down the weapon, they fired a Taser at him. But sources tell the Post "he just laughed and yanked the stun gun's electrodes out of his body."
Another source tells the Daily News that the cops were "initially backing off... He [Paulino] keeps coming, and he's saying, 'Shoot me in the head,' [or] words to that effect." As neighbors and relatives pleaded with Paulino to put down the knife, he allegedly advanced on the officers, who opened fire, riddling his body with bullets. (The Post counts 12 holes in the body.) The News reports that Paulino was released from prison in March after doing time for importing heroin.
But Paulino's friends and relatives say the NYPD overreacted. "To tell you the truth, there was no reason for them to shoot him like they did," Paulino's cousin Alex Candelario tells ABC. "No one even gave the kid a chance." Candelario also tells the News, "He was shot because of excessive force. He was a good kid, a humble guy. He didn't deserve this." Other witnesses say Paulino had the knife in his pocket, and wasn't threatening cops with it. CBS 2 reports there will be a protest against the NYPD today. One of the leaders, Fernando Mateo, says, "We believe that with all the technology and all the training the finest police department in the world has, it could have been prevented, it could have been handled differently."
Tagged
9/11
Emmanuel Paulino
inwood
nypd
police involved shooting
suicide by cop
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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