Mom: File charges in son’s death before Trump names U.S. attorney

Hawa Bah, the mother of an emotionally disturbed West African man killed in 2012 by NYPD officers, said Monday she hoped a decision by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office to interview her as a witness was a sign charges might come before any Trump administration slowdown on civil rights cases.

Mohamed Bah, 27, was shot several times after his mother called police for assistance and an ambulance. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance failed to get a state indictment, and the family has sought Justice Department intervention for 2 1⁄2 years, but Monday marked the first time Bah’s mother was called in as a fact witness.

Family lawyer Randolph McLaughlin and Hawa Bah both linked the action to the recent firing of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, and speculated that the office and acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim may want to get cases in motion before President Donald Trump names new leadership.

“I am worried time is running out,” Bah said. “I am concerned that President Trump will replace Mr. Kim with someone who is not committed to upholding justice for all, including black, Muslim immigrants like my son.”

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment on the Bah case or the interview.