Nearly 20 people were arrested in a protest that spawned at a Brooklyn subway station where four people were shot, including two bystanders, when NYPD officers opened fire during a confrontation with an alleged fare-beater over the weekend, authorities said Wednesday.
All but one of the 18 cuffed were given summonses and released. One person remained in custody with charges pending. It wasn't clear if any officers were hurt in the fray on Sutter Avenue in Brownsville. A group called Swipe It Forward, which advocates for universal transportation, promoted the protest, according to Gothamist.
The protesters eventually took their action to the streets of Brownsville, joining in chants against the police department.
The demonstration came after prosecutors said they intended to charge the alleged fare-beater at the center of Sunday's shooting. They claimed he lunged at officers with a knife, and officers opened fire. He was hit several times and was last said to be in stable condition. Two other people, a 49-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, were hit.
The man, identified as Gregory Delpeche, was hit in the head as he headed to work at Woodhull Hospital and remained in critical condition as of Tuesday, Gothamist reported. The 26-year-old suffered a graze wound. A police officer was also shot in the armpit.
"This unnecessary tragedy could have been avoided had they deployed proper deescalation measures," said Nick Liakas, the attorney for the family of Delpeche. The attorneys said Delpeche continues to improve at the hospital; the other three injured in the confrontation, including the suspect, were expected to recover.
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Another relative at Wednesday's press conference called the NYPD "reckless" in the shooting. New York City Councilmember Chris Banks, who represents Brownsville, called the officers' actions cavalier and callous, saying the incident was "dangerous, irresponsible and careless."
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams sees it differently.
"I know people would say that, OK, police should never discharge their guns on a subway system. Idealism is not realism," the mayor said.
All shots were fired by NYPD officers, authorities have said.
Investigators say they tried to subdue the man with Tasers first. The knife he allegedly wielded was taken from the crime scene, despite police initially stating that the weapon had been recovered.
Delpeche's family and their attorneys were requesting to see the bodycam footage from the incident. The NYPD said at a later press conference that it would work to release the footage as soon as possible. Adams said he had seen the footage and defended the officers.
"Police officers must be trained to make the right decisions. When I looked at that video I saw discipline. I saw desire to deescalate the situation as much as possible," said Adams.
