Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Handcuffed Man Dies In Police Custody
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 18, 2016
Modified Mar 18, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 18, 2016
Modified Mar 18, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A 55-year-old man died while handcuffed and in police custody on Wednesday night. Police sources tell the Daily News that the man, Richard Gonzalez, "was a longtime cocaine user who may have died of drug abuse." But his wife says police were too rough with him.
Hafiza Ali-Gonzalez called the police because Gonzalez had "taken drugs and grown agitated" in their apartment on East 137th Street in the Bronx. Ali-Gonzalez says she only wanted the police to take him to the hospital, but the situation escalated. According to the News:
As the officers interviewed Ali-Gonzalez in the hallway, her agitated husband aggressively tried to pull her inside. A brief struggle ensued, and cops cuffed Gonzalez who quickly began to exhibit signs of distress. Minutes later, an EMS crew took Gonzalez to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Ali-Gonzalez says the police "slammed him on the floor...They were trying to block me from seeing him. They were all on top of him. There was a lot of them. They killed him right there." She added, "He would never hurt me."
The police were familiar with Gonzalez: Ali-Gonzalez told the Times "that she had called the police six times since August because of his drug use and erratic behavior, but that he had never been violent toward her. He was arrested each time the police came, she said, and sometimes they treated him roughly, leaving him with a black eye or wrists bruised by handcuffs. She said he had had three heart attacks in the past eight months."
She is awaiting the Medical Examiner's autopsy; the police are also investigating the death.
Tagged
bronx
handcuffed
nypd
police custody death
richard gonzalez
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Retired NYPD detective charged in George Washington Bridge killing out on $1M bail
Victor Romero, who retired from the police department in 2001
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 25, 2026 at 10:25 a.m. ET
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
New data shows suicide taking an outsize toll among Latino New Yorkers, even as overall deaths fell.
By
Jill Webb
News
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
New data shows suicide taking an outsize toll among Latino New Yorkers, even as overall deaths fell.
By
Jill Webb
Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor
By
Samuel King
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
By
Arya Sundaram
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
By
Arya Sundaram
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .