Vigil marks 25 years since police officers shot and killed Amadou Diallo in the Bronx
NEW YORK -- Sunday marks 25 years since Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by a hail of police bullets in the Bronx.
A vigil and celebration of life was held Saturday in his honor on the same street the tragedy unfolded.
Kadiatou Diallo locked arms with other grieving mothers, walking down Wheeler Avenue, also known as Amadou Diallo place.
"It's a quarter of a century, so I had to return here without crying," Diallo said.
On Feb. 4, 1999, her son, Amadou Diallo, was killed by a hail of NYPD bullets outside of his Bronx apartment. Officials say 41 shots were fired at him by plain clothes officers, part of the NYPD's street crimes unit, who mistook him for an armed rape suspect. Officers said they thought Diallo was reaching for a gun, but he was reaching for his wallet.
"My son was educated. He was a hard-working young man. He was my first born," Kadiatou Diallo said. "I want to pick up Amadou, dust him off and give him back his story."
It was one of the first police-involved shootings in New York City that sparked national outrage and conversations about race and police relations.
The officers involved were charged with second-degree murder, but were acquitted at trial.
"My family and I are standing today with gratitude to New Yorkers because you guys helped us, prayed with us, comforted us when we were in need of that. We prayed together. We marched together. We protested together. We demanded changes together. And the journey continues," said Diallo's mother.
Saturday night at a vigil and celebration of life for Diallo, elected officials, advocates and the mothers of Sean Bell and Eric Garner, who also lost their sons at the hands of police, spoke.
"This great woman has been on the battlefield for 25 years," said Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner.
"We will be here to support her and do whatever we can to keep his legacy alive," said Sean Bell's mother, Valerie Bell.
The Diallo family later sued the city and a $3 million settlement was reached They used the money to start the Amadou Diallo Foundation.
"It's for his dream to be implemented to multiple, many young people to know who he was by achieving his dream through the Amadou Diallo scholarship," Kadiatou Diallo said.
Twenty-five years later, after a moment of silence near the vestibule where her son, a street vendor who spoke several languages and had multiple degrees, was killed, Diallo said she's finally healed.
"I'm at peace. Amadou is at peace. It's the history that we are documenting today," she said.
Diallo's mother says she will continue to keep her son's memory alive and advocate for police accountability.