'Inexcusable Violence': Bed Stuy Rallies After 78-YO Shot Dead By Cops

BED STUY, NY — Advocates planned a rally in Bed Stuy to decry the "inexcusable violence" exerted last week when police shot and killed a 78-year-old man in his apartment.

"If people are not safe from the police in their own homes, then where are they safe?" advocacy group New York Community Action Project asked in a statement to social media.

Bed Stuy residents remained without answers Monday, less than a week after the fatal police encounter. Police on Thursday knocked on the 78-year-old's door at 330 Lewis Ave. to investigate a robbery that appears to have been reported by his nephew, police said.

When he opened the door, he was holding a firearm and "clearly charged at officers with his gun," Chief of Detectives Jeffrey Maddrey said.

The 78-year-old man was one of three people shot by NYPD on Thursday in separate incidents in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx — the Bed Stuy man was the only to die.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday announced an investigation into the 78-year-old's death. Police had not released a name for the man, but locals said he was beloved in the neighborhood and lovingly referred to as "dad."

Monday's rally was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Herbert Von King Park, where organizers would speak about NYPD's continued use of "unruly power against the people," according to New York Community Action Project member Anevay Zapata.

The organization called for justice for the man's family — for the involved officers to be publicly named and fired, according to a statement.

Like many locals, the organization questioned why the 78-year-old had to die.

"The NYPD alleges that the man pointed a firearm at the officers, but this flimsy excuse is no justification for yet another murder of a man in his own home at the hands of the NYPD," the New York Community Action Project said.

Organizers were hopeful the rally would have a good turnout based on social media and neighborhood engagement, but had not been in contact with the man's family.

The organization took a particular focus on Raul de la Cruz, a 42-year-old Bronx man shot by police officers in late March, Gothamist reported. The man's father called 311, looking for medal attention for his son in the midst of a schizophrenic episode, according to Gothamist.

Advocates said Thursday's shooting underscores a citywide elder abuse issue. In 2022, violent crimes against people 65 and older rose by 10 percent over the previous year amid a citywide increase, the New York Times reported. The trend has left many older New Yorkers fearful, the New York Times reported.

Thursday's shooting underscores a lack of proper NYPD training and the need for more organized accountability processes, Zapata said.