Joel Capellan's family is demanding to see body camera video from Sunday morning's police shooting that claimed the life of the 28-year-old Manhattan man, reportedly shot 36 times by responding officers.
The Inwood man's family planned to gather outside of the 34th Precinct late Friday morning in search of answers to help Capellan's family understand what led up to the deadly shooting around 3 a.m. He died when four officers fired a barrage of bullets after NYPD officials said Capellan refused commands to drop a firearm.
Top brass held a press conference hours later, claiming the four officers rushed to the corner of Dyckman Street and Nagle Avenue after hearing some kind of disturbance and found Capellan "with a gun in his hand."
Few additional details have come out since that briefing. A police spokesperson told News 4 relevant footage would be "shared with the public in the future."
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"Also consistent with standing policy, out of respect for the family members affected by this incident, the NYPD will afford the opportunity for those family members to view the video in advance of public dissemination," the statement said.
Ahead of the Friday morning rally, Capellan's mother said an autopsy from the city's medical examiner showed her son had been shot 36 times.
“I want to see the video of my son with a gun. I am hearing so many conflicting stories. His funeral service is next week and I want to have closure before he is in the ground," Jenny Rodriguez, Capellan's mother, said in a statement.
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The status of the police investigation is unclear, but the New York state attorney general announced Wednesday the start of a special investigation into the shooting, as is standard protocol for police shootings in New York.
A funeral for Capellan is expected to be held Monday.
