An NYPD officer accused of beating, shooting and killing a Bronx man in 2019 now faces charges that could lead to his firing from the department, but his two partners who witnessed the incident will not face any charges, according to a group representing the victim’s family.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board, the city’s police watchdog agency, determined on Wednesday that it would bring disciplinary charges of excessive force against Sgt. Jonathan Rivera, who is accused of killing Allan Feliz after a Bronx traffic stop almost four years ago. The charges could be grounds for Rivera’s termination.
Feliz’s brother Samy Feliz called the agency’s decision “bittersweet,” because the CCRB is not seeking discipline for officers Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar, who were also present during the incident.
“In a city and nation that protects abusive officers at all costs — getting fireable charges against one of the three officers who murdered my brother is a rare and important step forward, but we are outraged and heartbroken that the CCRB made the cowardly decision not to charge Barrett or Almanzar at all,” he said in a statement through the Justice Committee, which is advocating for Feliz’s family.
