Bronx community calls for accountability after Raul de la Cruz was shot by NYPD
NEW YORK -- Community members and the family of a mentally ill man shot by police rallied for justice in the Bronx.
They say the family called for help, not bullets. As the Bronx father recovers at the hospital, they're demanding accountability from the NYPD.
Over a dozen people gathered outside the 52 Precinct in the Bronx on Friday, holding "Justice for Raul" signs and chanting "justicia para Raul" as officers looked on.
"Release the names. Give us the names of the trigger-happy cops that almost killed Raul and are still free," one person said through a megaphone.
READ MORE: NYPD officers shoot knife-wielding man in Kingsbridge section of Bronx
The family of 42-year-old Raul de la Cruz say he's mentally ill, and on March 26, his father called 311 for help after he had an outburst.
"We want justice for my brother, and we want the names of the police officers that did this to him," Raul's brother Victor de la Cruz said through a translator.
But officers arrived to his Bronx apartment building, and police say they fired 28 seconds after de la Cruz, a father who loves to preach, allegedly wielded a knife at them.
"Why you want to kill him?" cousin Juliana Fuentes said.
He was rushed to the hospital, where he remains tonight.
"I want what the family wants. we're demanding that they release the names of the officers who shot raul, release the body cam footage, release the 311 call," said Arty, with Dare to Struggle.
De la Cruz is being charged with several charges, including attempted aggravated assault on a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon.
"We demand an end to the criminalization of mental illnesses," a speaker said through a megaphone.
The NYPD tells CBS2 the investigation is ongoing by the Force Investigation Division.
