Bronx

NYPD Releases Bodycam Footage from Fatal Police Shooting in Bronx

Police say Allan Feliz, 31, had three open warrants against him, one of which was for littering, when they tried to place him under arrest

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The NYPD released bodycam footage Friday showing the moments leading up to the fatal police shooting of a man who had been pulled over in the Bronx for a traffic stop.

The video shows 31-year-old Allan Feliz interacting with police officers after they say he was pulled over for a seatbelt violation in October 2018. After insisting all inside the vehicle were wearing their seatbelts, cops ran Feliz's ID and found he had three open warrants against him.

In the video, three different angles show the struggle from the responding officers.

Police at the scene on East 211 Street tried to place him under arrest, and they say Feliz tried to take off in his car. As the altercation escalates, Feliz can be heard on the recording saying "don't shoot me, don't shoot me."

It lead to a scuffle inside the vehicle where a stun gun was deployed and the Volkswagen SUV's gear was shifted back and forth. As the car was put into reverse, an officer on the driver's side had to let go of Feliz and jump out of the way to avoid getting hit by the car, according to NYPD Chief Terence Monahan in the days after the incident.

After about a minute and a half of fighting, the sergeant opened fire, shooting Feliz in the chest.

Feliz's family had been asking the NYPD to turn over the footage since the shooting, which their attorney says was not justified and racially motivated.

Feliz's family lawyer, Bob Vilinsky, has disputed the NYPD's account of the incident for months and demanded an independent investigation, suggesting it could have been one of the officers who put the gear in reserve during the struggle.

"Why did they go to the extreme measure so quickly?," Samy Feliz said, describing his brother as a loving father and a good man. "I'm still in shock, mourning and troubled because we don't have closure yet."

The family of a man shot and killed by police during a traffic stop in the Bronx is demanding answers because they don’t accept the police account of what happened, and for the bodycam footage be released. Their lawyer is also asking for the drugs allegedly found at the scene be shown. NBC New York’s Adam Kuperstein reports.

Police said last year they deployed a stun gun but it failed to stop Feliz. They also said one of the warrants against Feliz was for littering but didn't disclose the details of other open warrants that led to Feliz's arrest.

Vilinsky said he believes the initial stop may have been racial profiling and questioned the drugs that police said were found in Feliz's vehicle.

"Where is the cocaine? Where is the heroin? Why didn’t they display it?," said Vilinsky.

The NYPD's force division is investigating, along with the state attorney general's office.

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