A New York City Police Dept. officer shot and killed a man during a parole warrant arrest in the man’s Bronx apartment.
A friend and neighbor of 44-year-old Lucien Colon accused police of killing him for no reason, but police say he would not put down a gun during the arrest.
Colon’s girlfriend said the convicted murderer and rapist was her ‘ride-and-die partner’ before his death.
Colon also had a long history of criminal violence, including a murder conviction from 2013, a rape conviction from 1997, and an attempted murder arrest in 1995.
Police said he had failed to meet his requirements as a sex offender and had an outstanding arrest warrant.
Warrant Squad officers said they were allowed inside the apartment on Willis Avenue between Bruckner Boulevard and East 132nd Street at about 6:45 a.m. by Colon’s girlfriend, Marivel Antoinette.
But when they encountered Colon, they asked him to show his hands, and he allegedly responded that he had a gun.
When officers told him to step out of the room he was in, he refused and added, “It’s not going to happen.”
“During this verbal interaction, which lasted for approximately a minute and a half, the officers showed extreme restraint and truly attempted to de-escalate the situation,” NYPD Deputy Chief John Wilson said.
Colon refused to comply with several orders before one officer shot him.
He was transported to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“We can’t confirm that yet, whether it’s a real gun or not. It’s potentially a BB gun, but we’re not sure,” Wilson added.
They released a photo of the gun via CrimeStoppers.
Colon’s girlfriend said the convicted murderer and rapist was her “ride-and-die partner” before his death. She said they had been together for two years and accused the police of damaging their door to gain entry and failing to identify themselves as police.
“I’m angry. It’s like, I should’ve stood in the room because he was my ride-and-die partner. He was my king; I was his queen,” Antoinette said.
A spokesperson for the NYPD said bodycam footage shows otherwise.
“The entire incident was depicted on the officers’ body-worn cameras, and that footage shows the officers were given permission to enter the residence,” the spokesperson said.
“The gun was hidden in the bedroom, and they just killed him for no reason,” Colon’s friend said.
No officers were injured.
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