In response to the reported leaking of the names of four of the five NYPD officers involved in the April 4 killing of unarmed Saheed Vassell the Justice Committee released the following statement from Co-Director Loyda Colon:
The fact that, after four months, the names of only four of the five NYPD officers involved in the killing of Saheed Vassell have been leaked through informal channels - versus being quickly, fully and formally reported to Saheed's family and the public - is representative of the dramatic leap backwards the de Blasio administration has taken when it comes to police transparency.
We condemn the de Blasio administration and NYPD for allowing these officers to remain on regular duty, patrolling New York streets with guns in hand, in spite of the fact that they killed an unarmed Black man in a hail of 10 bullets and criminal and departmental investigations are still open. This is antithetical to public safety.
Saheed's family - and the New York City public - have the right to swift and full transparency and accountability in this case, which they have been and continued to be denied.
We continue to uplift Saheed's family's demands for the names and disciplinary records of all officers involved - including the name of the fifth officer who was present, the unedited surveillance footage of what occurred, and a full explanation as to why the hyper-militarize strategic response group was involved in the incident.
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