Family calls for release of body camera video in deadly police shooting of 28-year-old Joel Capellan
NEW YORK - A mother who lost her son in a police-involved shooting is calling for the release of body camera video in the incident.
The NYPD said 28-year-old Joel Capellan was shot and killed early Sunday in Upper Manhattan.
According to police, a lieutenant and three officers witnessed a dispute around 3 a.m. near the corner of Nagle Avenue and Dyckman Street in the Inwood neighborhood.
Investigators said the men involved were leaving a club and exchanged words over a dirty look. Capellan allegedly pulled out a gun and pistol-whipped another man. The weapon discharged, and the man was gazed in the head by the bullet.
Police said Capellan ignored repeated commands to drop the gun and was shot on the scene.
"They observed a male with a gun in his hand fighting in the crowd. The officers exit their vehicle, they give commands for the person to drop the firearm. They yell repeated commands, and then at some point, officers discharge their weapons," said NYPD Chief of Patrol Jeffrey Maddrey.
Police said a gun was recovered at the scene.
Capellan's family spoke with CBS2 after his death, saying he was good person trying to turn his life around.
"His smile, when he walked into a room, it lit up the whole world. He was so great," his sister, Kayla Capellan, said.
The family says an autopsy reveals Capellan was shot 36 times.
His mother, Jenny Rodriguez, is now demanding answers before her son is laid to rest.
"You don't shoot an animal 36 times," Rodriguez said. "They are trained to diffuse and deescalate. At no time did they try to defuse and deescalate that situation. I wasn't there, so I can't tell you what happened."
The NYPD says it plans to release the body camera video of the incident. The family will be able to view the video before it's made public.
The New York attorney general's office is now investigating the shooting.