Saheed Vassell's Family Demand Answers After Police Shooting

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Nearly a month after Saheed Vassell was shot and killed by police a few blocks from his Crown Heights home, his family is demanding more information from public officials.

"It’s unconscionable that a month after NYPD officers murdered our son Saheed, Mayor de Blasio is still refusing to provide basic transparency that can help ensure accountability for his killing," Vassell's parents, Lorna and Eric, said in a statement.

Vassell, 34, was killed April 4 on the street corner of Montgomery Street and Utica Avenue. He was fatally wounded by multiple NYPD officers who opened fire after responding to 911 calls reporting a man possibly armed with a gun, according to transcripts from the 911 calls. Vassell was believed to be carrying a metal pipe when officers responded and shot him, but was not carrying a gun. Police said the officers mistakenly believed he was carrying a weapon.

The Vassells and other neighbors and community activists will gather on Wednesday at the street corner where their son was killed to mark the month that's passed since the shooting and demand more information from public officials.

The NYPD has not released the names of the four officers who fired their guns at Vassell, or said whether any of the officers have been involved in previous shootings or had histories of misconduct. The NYPD has released some surveillance footage of Vassell before the shooting, but his family says the information was "selective" and "edited."

"These are not the actions of a city government committed to the truth – instead it seems like public officials and the NYPD trying to hide something," the Vassells said in a statement.

The shooting has reignited an intense debate about police violence in the neighborhood and throughout New York City. Some witnesses say that the officers opened fire just seconds after pulling up to the street corner where Vassell was, without asking him to show his hands.

Vassell's father said his son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and that his sometimes erratic behavior was recognized around the neighborhood as a symptom of his mental illness.

Image credit: Kathleen Culliton / Patch