GIVE US THE TRUTH
Special prober for cops Too late in case of ailing son’s death
BLANCA SIERRA REYES longs to know why her son is dead.
Reyes last saw her mentally ill son Denis alive at her Bronx apartment May 14, when she called police because he was getting violent.
The cops came — and by the time paramedics wheeled him out, his face was pale and his lips were purple, she said.
A short time later, he was pronounced dead.The grieving mom said the only investigation she’s aware of into why her 40-year-old son died was conducted by the NYPD — the agency that may be responsible for the death.
The family said they still have not been questioned by the Bronx district attorney’s office about what happened. Unlike the chokehold death of Eric Garner last year — which sparked protests nationwide and fueled the debate over how police-involved deaths are investigated — Denis Reyes is one of the scores of lesser-noticed police-involved fatalities. Until last week, cases like that of Reyes were investigated by local DAs. Now, they are the responsibility of state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office, a reform long sought by criminal justice advocates.
“The families of victims will have an opportunity to at least expect that there will be justice,” said Delores Jones-Brown, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who believes the change will help restore confidence in the justice system.
The reform came too late for the Reyes family, although both the Bronx DA’s office and the NYPD said the case remains under investigation. A spokeswoman for the DA added that the office will be “talking with the family in due course.”
According to his mother and brother — who were in the E. 194th St. apartment — Reyes’ meltdown began as the mom fixed dinner.
Reyes, who had a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, threw a pot of beans on the floor, knocked around furniture and attempted to turn the couch over. His mother called 911, and a neighbor flagged down a police car. “She called for them to help her . . . not to kill her son,” said Wilnelia Reyes, 39, who was translating for her mother, 65.
Two officers tried to restrain Denis Reyes, but needed backup. Six more officers came, and the mom was told to leave. The eight cops wrestled Reyes to the couch, said brother Wilfredo Bracero, 45. Pinned, Denis began vomiting and his eyes rolled back, Bracero said.
Police officials have said the officers cuffed Reyes’ wrists and legs because he would not stop kicking. The officials said Reyes went into cardiac arrest as he was taken to the ambulance in a wheelchair.
Officials said determination of the cause of death is pending.
Police sources said Reyes had taken synthetic pot and popped pills before his meltdown, allegations the family — which plans to sue the department — deny. “We just want justice,” his sister Wilnelia said. “We just want the truth.”
Reyes was one of 16 people who have died in confrontations with on-duty NYPD officers since Garner’s death, the Daily News found. Twelve of the 16 were reportedly armed.
Currently, only one case is being prosecuted — the shooting death of Akai Gurley, 28, in a Brooklyn housing project. Officer Peter Liang, who shot Gurley while patrolling a stairwell, is the only officer involved in the 16 cases on modified duty, said NYPD spokesman Lt. John Grimpel. Grimpel said all 16 cases are still under review.
The officer in the Garner case, Daniel Pantaleo, remains on modified duty.
In total, The News found 188 people have died in confrontations with on-duty NYPD officers since the
1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo.
Excluding the Gurley case, there have been just three prosecutions and one conviction, which did not lead to time behind bars.
The landmark executive order shifting investigation responsibility to Schneiderman’s office — signed by Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday — is one of the most significant reforms to the state’s justice system since Garner died last July and a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo, the cop who put him in the fatal chokehold.
Schneiderman announced Thursday one of his top lieutenants, Alvin Bragg, a former assistant U.S. attorney, will run the new unit handling these cases.
Local DAs have opposed giving these cases to the AG. Bronx DA Robert Johnson questioned if the AG has the resources to take on a fullfledged homicide probe.
“I’m very fond of (Schneiderman), but I’m not sure how many homicide prosecutors you’re going to find on his staff,” said Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.
The Brooklyn and Queens DAs opposed Schneiderman when he requested this power in December. However, Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson praised Bragg’s selection Thursday.
Nationally, there have been three high-profile deaths that led to indictments of cops: Walter Scott, who was killed by a cop in South Carolina as he fled; Eric Harris, who was shot dead by a reserve deputy in Oklahoma, and Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured while being transported by Baltimore cops.
But those prosecutions are not evidence of widespread change: A Washington Post investigation found that of 385 fatal police shootings examined this year, officers were charged in just three cases.