STATEMENT FROM STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA ON THE CROWN HEIGHTS POLICE SHOOTING
(Bronx, NY) – I am deeply saddened to inform our community that yesterday in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Saheed Vassella, a young black man, lost his life to gun violence. Multiple police offers are reported to have fired ten shots upon encountering him. Community members and local cops alike knew him from the neighborhood and knew that he was struggling with mental illness. Police officers must be held accountable for taking the life of someone in the course of duty. I believe that police officers need to be trained to use de-escalation tactics that can save people’s lives, but I also want to see consequences for improper use of fatal force, beginning with a thorough investigation. I am grateful for and humbled by the service of the NYPD and that is why I expect the department to hold officers responsible when misconduct and unnecessary loss of life occur.
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