REVEALED

Report: NYPD Cops Who Killed Mentally Ill Man Identified

Police officials have previously refused to identify those involved, citing security concerns.

Four New York City police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a mentally ill black man in Brooklyn have been identified, according to the New York Daily News. Citing an unnamed source, the publication says three of the officers involved in the high-profile shooting of  Saheed Vassell in April were members of the 71st Precinct, where Vassell lived. The fourth was reportedly a member of the NYPD Strategic Response Group. According to the source cited by the News, the police officers have been identified as Leon Dinham, Anthony Bottiglieri, Bekim Molic, and Omar Rafiq. Vassell’s family members have demanded to know the names of the officers since the shooting, which prompted widespread protests in Brooklyn. The NYPD, citing security concerns, had declined to release the names of those involved. Vassell, 34, was off his psychiatric medication when he was seen waving around a metal pipe that several 911 callers mistook for a gun. Police confronted him and shot him 10 times, killing him.