NYCLU on NYPD Subway Shooting: No Reflection, No Accountability, No Surprise

NEW YORK CITY – In response to Mayor Adams’s defense of the NYPD after officers opened fire at a Brooklyn subway station on Sunday, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attributable to NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“On Sunday, the NYPD shot two bystanders and their own officer in a crowded and confined area in pursuit of a $2.90 subway fare. This deeply disturbing incident shows why relying on ever more police in subways and harsh new crackdowns for minor offenses won’t bring true community safety.

“The NYPD’s odd accounting of events in the last two days – including incorrectly reporting that a knife had been recovered, only to later claim it was stolen – raises more questions than answers. The City must promptly release any body camera and subway platform footage from the incident. New Yorkers shouldn’t be left to take the NYPD’s word for it.

“Yesterday, the Mayor praised the NYPD’s ‘restraint’ in shooting four people, including a bystander who has suffered brain damage. It seems Mayor Adams is more comfortable with New Yorkers taking a bullet than second-guessing his NYPD.

“No reflection from an administration that time and again demands no accountability – No surprise.”