The atmosphere in New York City has shifted dramatically, as the shocking news of Brian Thompson’s tragic death reverberates through the streets and beyond. Thompson, the esteemed CEO of United Healthcare’s Insurance division, was shot and killed in a brazen act of violence on Wednesday morning, right outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The NYPD has swiftly classified the incident as a “targeted attack,” raising questions about the motives behind such a heinous crime. The daylight shooting has left many in the community in disbelief, particularly given that Thompson was only 50 years old and in town for a conference aimed at discussing advancements in healthcare. The juxtaposition of a professional gathering with such a violent act has created a palpable tension in the air, as people grapple with the reality of living in a world where such tragedies can occur in plain sight.

Eyewitnesses have recounted harrowing details of the incident, describing a masked assailant who approached Thompson with chilling precision. As Thompson arrived early for the event, the shooter unleashed a barrage of gunfire using what witnesses have described as a “silent gun,” suggesting the use of a suppressor that muffled the sound of the shots. The attack unfolded at approximately 6:46 a.m. along the bustling Sixth Avenue, a location typically filled with the morning rush of commuters and tourists. Witnesses reported seeing the assailant fire multiple shots before making a hasty escape on a bicycle, weaving through the morning traffic. First responders arrived on the scene within moments, performing CPR in a desperate attempt to save Thompson’s life. Tragically, despite their valiant efforts, he was pronounced dead later at Mt. Sinai Hospital, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew him and the industry he served.

In the wake of this shocking event, social media has erupted with a flurry of reactions, as users express their outrage and concern. Many have taken the opportunity to criticize United Healthcare’s practices, particularly their controversial history of denying coverage to clients, which has led to significant public backlash in the past. Some users have speculated that the shooter may have been someone who had previously encountered difficulties with the company, suggesting a possible motive rooted in personal grievances. NYC Mayor Eric Adams has publicly addressed the situation, confirming that the evidence points to a targeted murder rather than a random act of violence. He reassured the public that law enforcement is actively pursuing leads to apprehend the suspect, announcing a $10,000 reward for any information that could assist in the investigation.

According to the New York Police Department, a man in a wheelchair allegedly carried out several stabbings, beginning with two victims, both in their 60s, on March 16. After these initial attacks, the man is alleged to have stabbed a 35-year-old man in the chest, who later sought treatment at Mt. Sinai Queens Hospital in Queens, New York. Subsequently, he is accused of stabbing a 46-year-old woman who arrived at a police precinct with a laceration on her forearm.

As Pix 11 reports, a video captured on the Citizen app depicts five police officers surrounding the wheelchair-bound man and apprehending him. According to the NYPD, the man is currently in police custody. All of the man’s victims survived their encounters and were treated at local medical facilities and released. A full investigation is pending, per the NYPD.

Though the man’s victims were all adults, in 2023, New York City experienced a sharp uptick in youth stabbings. According to data from the NYPD, the 467 minors who were stabbed in the city represent a 48% increase from 2022. As CBS News reported, that specific population’s explosion is juxtaposed against a 6% increase in victims of all ages.

New York Mayor Eric Adams told the outlet that he believed the rise in youth stabbings was due to a crackdown on guns. “I think there’s a combination of things that are giving way to the stabbings. Number one, the police department has done an amazing job of cracking down on guns. I believe over 13,000 were removed off of our streets, and you know, some young people have started to use knives.”

Source: Rolling Danger: Man In Wheelchair Stabs Multiple People In NYC

New York City Mayor Eric Adams revamped the NYPD Neighborhood Safety Teams to keep illegal guns off the streets, but new reports show numerous unjustified stops.

Reports from a federal monitor show the controversial “stop-and-frisk” teams are making some unlawful stops targeting Black and Hispanic people, finding 24% of the stops were unconstitutional, the NY Daily News reports. Mylan Denerstein, the court-appointed monitor, examined the reports and called the results “disappointing.”

The units, riding in unmarked cars and wearing security-like uniforms, seem to be the least compliant overall of officers, with department officials constantly overlooking their flaws. “Too many people are stopped, frisked, and searched unlawfully,” Denerstein said. “At the precinct level, sergeants, lieutenants, and commanding officers fail to identify and correct the unconstitutional policing.”

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The task force was disbanded by former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio but reinstated after Adams took office last year. Adams’ first initiative was to bring back undercover, plain-clothed cops, similar to the ones involved in the tragic case of Eric Garner in 2014. However, not wanting repeated offenses, Adams required the teams to have constitutional policing training, have a modified uniform, and wear body cameras.

Neighborhood Safety Teams operate in 34 areas that account for 80% of the city’s violent crime rate, largely in communities of color. According to Fox News, 97% of the people stopped are Black or Hispanic.

A spokesperson from Adams’ office, Fabien Levy, says the mayor finds the monitor’s methods concerning and questions the findings since news outlets were the ones who reported it to them. He claims shootings have declined since the task force was reinstated, and the units are trained to “protect their civil liberties as well.” “Any unconstitutional stop is unacceptable, and we will strive to do better for New Yorkers every day,” Levy added.

Source: NYPD ‘Stop-and-Frisk’ Team Made Unconstitutional Stops Targeting Black and Brown People

Video shows man about to attack a female NYPD officer in the Bronx

*The father of the man caught on camera randomly hitting an NYPD officer with a glass bottle says his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 12 and likely assaulted the cop “because of his mental issues.”

“He’s my son. He’s crazy,” said 74-year-old Jose Garcia in Spanish about his 45-year-old son, who shares his name. Speaking to the New York Post through a translator, he said his son, has “mental issues.”

“Besides his problems, he’s a nice man. He’s not a bad man. He’s got problems.”

In the April 17th incident, the female officer had been conducting smoke shop inspections with the New York City Sheriff’s Department and was standing with another cop on a busy sidewalk at 231st Street and Broadway in Kingsbridge at around 2 p.m., when the younger Garcia is seen on surveillance video approaching her from behind and striking her in the back of the head. He also punched her several times before the other officer and another person finally took him down.

Police sources tell the New York Post that following Garcia’s arrest, he said “God told him to do this,” and claimed there were “people in his house, and no one did anything.”

The elder Garcia said that his son “likes drinking, too,” and “has medication but he’s not taking it.”

“I know it’s because of his mental issues that he did it. I want them to take him to a psychiatrist, put him someplace where he’s safe,” he said.

Smoke shop employees were filming the inspection to ensure that cops and the Sheriff destroy their establishment and unwittingly caught the attack on camera.

Garcia was arraigned on charges of attempted aggravated assault on a police officer or peace officer, second and third-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. He has 11 prior arrests, many of which appear to be tied to his mental illness, sources sell the NY Post.

The injured officer was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she was treated for a concussion, a hematoma on the back of her head, blurry vision, and a loss of feeling in her hands, according to the complaint. The NYPD said the officer was in stable condition.

Source: Dad of Man Who Bashed Female NYPD Officer with Bottle Says He Has Schizophrenia | WATCH-it-Happen

On Monday night, new video of the suspects wanted for attacking 58-year-old Yemeni Brooklyn store owner Jamal Sawaid was released by the NYPD. The footage comes three days after Sawaid suffered a brutal beating inside his own Coney Island smoke shop.

In the video, four men are seen fleeing Mermaid Avenue before getting into a white pickup truck. Sawaid told CBS2 on Sunday that three men assaulted him without reason and that a fourth stood outside guarding the store. “I smile like in his face and I think he joking … and he hit me right away.”The Emasculation Problem: A$AP Rocky & Rihanna’s Vogue Cover“The blood is going in the floor and I keep on going down and they keep on hitting me, all of them hitting me, over here, over there, over here,” Sawaid explained. He also said that one of the men called him a racial slur before Sawaid was hit with a metal pipe.

“He hit me with a stick. More than one, more than three, more than four, more than five,” Sawaid said. “I never see them before. I don’t have no problem with nobody. No problem with anyone in the community. I have to find out what’s the problem. Why they come to my place and they just struck my head? And they hit me only in the head, in my head, in my head. They want to kill me. For what reason?”

Source: Newly Released Video Reveals Suspects Wanted for Violent Attack on Yemeni Brooklyn Store Owner

Police in the Bronx are looking for a missing 10-year-old girl last seen leaving her school on Friday.

The girl left her school on Taylor Avenue around 2 p.m. Friday and had not been seen since.

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Police say she was wearing her school uniform — a navy blue sweater with a white polo and navy blue pants — and carried a pink and grey book bag.

Source: Missing 10-Year-Old Bronx Girl Found Safe: NYPD

Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM) of Greater New York, had a heated exchange with New York Mayor-elect Eric Adams during a public meeting over the mayor’s stance on the police unit, which has been involved in the high profile killings of Black men.

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Adams said he would reform the units that are meant to reduce gun violence, implementing body-worn camera requirements and other accountability measures. Newsome accused Adams of betraying the BLM movement and sending the wrong message to cops.

Newsome said he would not let the mayor reinstate the units without a fight. The units that have been connected to the deaths of Eric Garner, Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo were dismantled after years of agitation by activists and litigation in the courts.

“If he thinks that they’re going to go back to the old ways of policing, then we are going to take to the streets again,” Newsome said during a meeting at the Brooklyn Borough Hall.

Source: BLM Activist Threatens to Riot If New York Mayor-Elect Eric Adams Reinstates Plainclothes Street Units. NYPD Wants to Label Him a Domestic Terrorist In Response.

Eric Garner’s final words, “I can’t breathe,” still reverberate in the streets more than seven years after his death, driven by a movement fighting for justice and accountability for victims of police brutality. On Monday, a summary judicial inquiry was opened in the case. This is a rare judicial process that allows the public to lead an investigation into public officials.

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New York Police Department officer Daniel Pantaleo, who held Garner in an unauthorized chokehold in July 2014, was fired for his involvement after a department disciplinary trial in August 2019. Garner’s mother and sister, Gwen Carr and Ellisha Flagg Garner, along with other petitioners accuse the NYPD of not properly investigating and disciplining all officers in Garner’s death.

CNN reports that the inquiry will focus on the actions of NYPD officers during and after the use of force in Garner’s arrest as well as any allegations surrounding the case. New York Supreme Court Judge Erika Edwards began the proceeding by saying that no one will be criminally charged at the end of the inquiry.

“This hearing will lead to further accountability for his death and advance the cause of racial justice in our criminal justice system, both in our city and across the nation,” said Garner family attorney Alvin Bragg.

Source: Judicial Inquiry Begins in Eric Garner Case, 7 Years After His Death

Amid anti-police sentiment, reforms in how police operate, and renewed vigor to prosecute police misconduct, retirements and departures in the New York Police Department (NYPD) have skyrocketed.

According to the New York Post, more than 5,300 NYPD officers have either retired or left the force, a 75% increase from 2019 when 3,053 officers departed. Approximately 2,600 officers have left the force while another 2,746 have filed for retirement.

Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD sergeant, told Yahoo News the anti-police climate in the city has led to a significant increase in departures.

“Cops are forming a conga line down at the pension section and I don’t blame them,” Giacalone said. “NYPD cops are looking for better jobs with other departments or even embarking on new careers.”

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The NYPD has faced increased scrutiny among the public over its tactics last summer during the Black Lives Matter protests. A report by the city’s Department of Investigations✎ EditSign on the NYPD’s response to the protests stated the department lacked a defined strategy and escalated tensions with its use of force.https://www.youtube.com/embed/kOiI8Y7jr6M?feature=oembed

New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing the NYPD over its handling of the protests. Last month, the New York City Council enacted a series of police reforms including the end of qualified immunity and a mandate that all NYPD officers must live in New York City.

Giacalone told Yahoo he expects another tumultuous summer after the city council made those changes because it’ll not be easier to sue officers, which will turn “the job into a minefield.”

Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch, who slammed Democratic policing policies during a speech at the Republican National Convention last year, told the Post between budget cuts, the loss of plainclothes units, and the end of qualified immunity, the city is trying to abolish the NYPD.

“They’ve kept our pay absurdly low. They’ve ratcheted up our exposure to lawsuits. They’ve demonized us at every opportunity. And they’ve taken away the tools we need to do the job we all signed up for, which is to keep our communities safe,” Lynch told the Post.

“Now the NYPD is spending money on slick recruiting ads to replace the experienced cops who are leaving in droves,” Lynch added. “City Hall should just admit the truth: police abolition-through-attrition is their goal. They won’t stop until the job has become completely unbearable, and they’re getting closer to that goal with every passing day.”

Source: NYPD Departures and Retirements Up 75% Percent As Officers Leave Force In Record Numbers

Lawyers representing Malcolm X‘s estate are requesting his case be reopened in light of new evidence that may reveal that the New York Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation conspired to have him killed.

According to ABC News, the family and attorney of former undercover NYPD officer Ray Wood disclosed that they recovered a death bed confession letter in November 2020. The letter allegedly states that the NYPD and the FBI conspired to insure the killing of Minister X, who was gunned down in Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom during a speech in 1965.

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Wood’s family stated that in the letter, he wrote that it was his responsibility to have X’s security detail arrested in the days prior to his scheduled appearance at the Audubon. This would ensure that security would not be sufficient to stop the gunmen from killing Malcolm X.

Despite three men from the Nation of Islam being convicted of killing the civil rights icon, attorney Ben Crump, three of Malcolm X’s daughters and Wood’s family are hoping the case will be re-opened in light of the discovery of this letter.

“So, what we’re trying to do is talk about restorative justice as lawyers — try to pursue relentless justice,” said Attorney Ray Hamlin.

Last February, Netflix released the docuseries Who Killed Malcolm X, which chronicled historian Abdur-Rahman Muhammad’s years-long research to unravel inconsistencies in the Malcolm X murder case. In the series, Muhammad worked to reveal evidence that two of the three men convicted for Malcolm X’s death were in fact not present at the Audubon on the day of this murder.

Source: New evidence points to NYPD, FBI conspiracy in Malcolm X assassination, lawyers say