On Thursday, the NYPD released bodycam footage of the Sept. 6th officer-involved shooting that left 31-year-old Miguel Antonio Richards dead.
According to NY Post, Officer Mark Fleming and Redmond Murphy responded to Richards’ home after his landlord called to report his erratic behavior. Upon arrival, the landlord let the officer’s in and noticed the man standing in a dark room with a knife in one hand and the other behind his back.
The 48-minute bodycam footage that had been retrieved from four officer’s cameras showed a standoff between officers and Richards. The officers ordered Richards to “put that knife down,” and asked him to show his hand that was behind his back.
“I don’t want to shoot you. This is not gonna end well for you if you don’t put that down,” Fleming said. “Put that knife down. You hear me?”
Neighbors interjected and pleaded with Richards to listen to the officers. One even called a friend of Richards’ to help convince him to comply with the officer’s commands.
After several minutes, Richards’, who had been standing still, shifts his weight and moves his arm, prompting the officer to raise his gun.
“You understand you are seconds away from getting shot if you don’t tell us what’s in that other hand. Do you hear me?” Fleming said. “Do you want to die?”
A few more minutes pass, just before Murphy says, “He’s got a gun.” That is when third officer arrives with a stun gun.
“Ricardo, is that a real gun you got there? Ricardo, I don’t want to shoot you if you’ve got a fake gun in your hand,” Fleming says. “Drop the gun and drop that knife, Ricardo.”
The third officer, Jesus Ramos, then walked into the room to fire his stun gun, prompting Richards to react. Although it is not shown in the video, police say Richards aimed the fake gun at Ramos, prompting both Fleming and Murphy to fire at Richards. Fleming unleashed nine shots, while Murphy unloaded seven cartridges.
According to reports, Richards was pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center.
Initially, police did not want to release the footage, as it could sway a jury to bring charges against the cops. But, they then decided to release it to show the officers acted appropriately, sources say.
“It was in our favor. It shows what the cops have to deal with,” a source said. “People don’t realize how quickly things change.”
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