NYPD: Harlem Man Shot By Police Claimed He Was Armed
March 6, 2019, 5:39 p.m.
Video appears to show the man taking an object—reportedly a wallet—and aiming it at officers.
The NYPD released video showing the moments before a police officer shot an unarmed man in Harlem apartment building on Tuesday night. Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison told reporters that the man "stated that he had a gun, taking a shooting stance, and pointed an object at the officers."
The officers had been responding to 234 West 114th Street to investigate a report of a man with a gun. Harrison said, "Upon arrival, the officers encountered an eyewitness who stated that there was a male with a gun on the 4th floor hallway and provided a description." When the officers got to the 4th floor, they saw a man, now identified as Michael Cordero, 34, who apparently matching the description.
The officers told the man to take his hands out of his pockets but refused, according to the NYPD. Chief Kevin Maloney, of the NYPD's Force Investigation Division, said on Wednesday that Cordero told the officers, "What do you mean, 'take my hands out of my pockets?' I've got a gun. What the f--- do you mean?"
NEW: @NYPDnews releases surveillance video of last night's police involved shooting in @NYPD28Pct. Annotations are based on the police narrative as heard on body worn camera video. pic.twitter.com/Xdb5BxUJyi
— myles miller (@MylesMill) March 6, 2019
One of the officers fired, hitting Cordero in the hip. EMS transported Cordero to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, where he is in stable condition.
Sources told NY1 that the object Cordero took from his pocket was a wallet.
One neighbor described Cordero to the Post as being a quiet guy who is "cool" and stays to himself. Another said, in an interview with the Daily News, "He was coming to visit his parents. He’s schizophrenic. If he’s not on his meds he acts out."
The shooting was captured on the officers' body cameras and will be reviewed by the Force Investigation Division. Attorney Sanford Rubenstein is now representing Cordero and will hold a press conference with his family on Thursday morning.
Rubenstein, who said that Cordero suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, added, "There are serious issues regarding the shooting of Michael Cordero by NYPD officers this past Tuesday in the hallway on the floor of the apartment in which he lived in Harlem. They include most importantly how the NYPD interacts with those suffering from mental illness."