Family of man fatally shot by NYPD officer in 2019 calls for more action
NEW YORK -- Family members of a man shot and killed by an NYPD officer in 2019 called for more action to be taken Saturday.
A rally was held on what would have been Allan Feliz's 36th birthday.
Feliz was pulled over in the Bronx on Oct. 17, 2019 on suspicion of not wearing a seat belt, and officers found three open warrants when they ran his license. Police say during the traffic stop, Feliz got out of his vehicle, then got back inside and tried to drive away.
An officer who was on the passenger side of the vehicle used a Taser on Feliz, but police say the vehicle continued moving. Then-Sgt. Jonathan Rivera then shot Feliz in the chest.
Police say they performed CPR on Feliz until EMS arrived and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Rivera, who has since been promoted to lieutenant, claimed he was trying to protect the other officers from the moving car.
Last year, a police watchdog group recommended Rivera be fired, but so far, that has not happened.
"We thought that getting fireable charges on one of these officers was a glimpse of hope, but yet we see that that's even being taken from us when there's no justice being pushed, when the mayor and the police commissioner continuously ignore our demands for justice," said Feliz's brother, Sammy Feliz.
Back in 2020, the New York state attorney general's office said the use of deadly force did not rise to the level of criminal charges, but did criticize some of his actions.