Attorneys for an NYPD lieutenant facing possible termination over fatally shooting a motorist during a Bronx car stop five years ago raised the dead man’s criminal past during an internal disciplinary trial Tuesday, sparking anger from departmental critics who are pressing for the officer’s dismissal.
The fatal encounter unfolded on Oct. 17, 2019, when Lt. Jonathan Rivera pulled over Allan Feliz for not wearing a seat belt. Feliz, 31, gave the officers his brother’s identification before trying to drive off and escape. Rivera then leaped through the passenger-side window and tased, beat and finally shot Feliz in the chest at E. 211th St. and Bainbridge Ave.
As the long-delayed trial got underway, attorneys James Moschella and Philip Karasyk brought up Feliz’s criminal past, saying the man was on methamphetamines, had drugs on his person and was on federal parole for selling drugs. The lawyers said they wanted to help establish the dead man’s “state of mind” when he tried to escape Rivera, who was a sergeant at the time, and Police Officers Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar.
The move drew an immediate objection from Civilian Complaint Review Board prosecutor Amanda Rodriguez.
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