Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. issued the following statement in reaction to tonight's fatal NYPD shooting of a 66-year-old, mentally disturbed woman in The Bronx:
“The shooting of a mentally disturbed, 66-year-old woman in the 43rd Precinct is an outrage, especially given the New York Police Department’s knowledge of this woman’s history and the police officer’s possession of a stun gun.
“While I certainly understand the hard work that our police officers undertake to keep the streets of our city safe every single day, I also know what excessive force looks like. This elderly woman was known to the police department, yet the officer involved in this shooting failed to use discretion to either talk her down from her episode or, barring that, to use his stun gun. “That is totally unacceptable.
“The incident is all too reminiscent of the case of Eleanor Bumpers and a much darker time for this city and this nation in terms of police/community relations. “Hasn’t anything changed over the last 32 years?
“I call on Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and District Attorney Darcel Clark to begin an immediate investigation.”
