New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio commended a police officer for stepping in to stop another officer from using a chokehold after a video of the incident was posted online.
“I want to praise the other officer in the incident, who clearly on the video intervenes to stop his partner from using that chokehold,” de Blasio said during a press conference on Monday. “This is such an important thing to see police officers step up, say, ‘Wait a minute that’s not right, stop doing that.’”
A video of the incident shows Ricky Bellevue, a 35-year-old black man, being held down by several officers, including Officer David Afanador. Afanador placed the man in an apparent chokehold while the other officers worked to detain him. Bystanders who filmed the incident, shouted, “Yo, he’s choking him! Let go!” One of the other officers stepped in and pulled back on Afanador’s shoulder, urging him to let go.
Police had been called to the scene after receiving a report of a man shouting around 8:45 a.m. on Sunday morning. In the cellphone video posted online, Bellevue appears to be knocked unconscious when Afanador released him. Lori Zeno, an executive director of Queens Defenders, the group that is representing Bellevue, said that he was hospitalized after the incident.
“He was on such a hard chokehold that he couldn’t speak to say he couldn’t breathe,” Zeno said.
Officer Afanador, Badge # 31730 of the @NYPD100Pct @NYPDnews at Far Rockaway Beach performing an Illegal modern day lynching chokehold on a Black Man until he was unconscious. I demand his immediate firing & criminal charges for breaking the city & state ban. #DefundThePolice pic.twitter.com/wtAmYWxIbE
— Anthony Beckford (City Council Candidate)? (@Vote4Beckford) June 21, 2020
New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said that Afanador has been “suspended without pay” as the department investigates his use of a chokehold.
“While a full investigation is still underway, there is no question in my mind that this immediate action is necessary,” Shea said. “We are committed to transparency as this process continues.”
New York City and other cities throughout the nation have witnessed weeks of protests against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after an officer knelt on his neck while he was being arrested.
New York recently passed a ban on the use of chokeholds, and President Trump signed an executive order incentivizing departments not to use the tactic.
