Officials: 4 NYPD cops who fatally shot Brooklyn man had not fired while on duty
This image from a surveillance video shows Saheed Vassell pointing a silver pipe at pedestrians in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the NYPD said Thursday. Credit: NYPD/ AP
The four NYPD officers who shot and killed a mentally troubled Brooklyn man this week had not previously fired their weapons while on duty with the department, law enforcement officials said late Friday.
As police continue their probe into the fatal shooting of Saheed Vassell, 34, in Crown Heights on Wednesday, the NYPD released additional video of the incident. Vassell is seen on the video excerpts jabbing numerous pedestrians with a short metal tube. The bystanders believed it was a gun and telephoned 911, which prompted a police response.
The video depicted Vassell, who is black, pointing the object at police in a combat stance seconds before officers fired.
Before shooting, the officers yelled at Vassell to “drop it, drop it,” the officials said about the incident that happened in “seconds.”
The four officers who fired a total of 10 rounds are of various races and ethnicities: one black, two white and one Indian or South Asian, officials said, adding that they averaged about six years in uniform.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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