An NYPD officer fatally shot a man in the Bronx on Thursday morning, police said. It happened at around 6:45 a.m. at an apartment on Willis Avenue between Bruckner Boulevard and East 132nd Street. Police officials said the Bronx Warrant Squad was trying to apprehend Lucien Colon, 44. There was a warrant out for Colon for failing to meet his reporting requirements as a sex offender, according to the NYPD. An official said Colon was on parole for a 2013 murder, and is a sex offender due to a 1997 rape, and was previously arrested for attempted murder in 1995.
How police say the shooting happened Warrant Squad officers were greeted at the Willis Avenue apartment by a woman who let them in, police said. When they entered the apartment they encountered Colon “with what appeared to be a firearm in his hand.” The officers tried to talk to Colon, demanding he show them his hands, and he told them, “I have a gun,” police said. Officers demanded Colon step out of the room, and he said, “It’s not going to happen,” according to police.
“During this verbal interaction, which lasted for approximately a minute and a half, the officers showed extreme restraint and truly attempted to deescalate the situation,” NYPD Deputy Chief John Wilson said. “After failing to comply to multiple requests, one officer discharged their firearm and strikes the subject.” Colon was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police displayed a photo of the apparent weapon they said Colon was holding. “We can’t confirm that yet, whether it’s a real gun or not. It’s potentially a BB gun, but we’re not sure,” Wilson said.
No officers were injured, although they were taken to the hospital for evaluation.
“He was my king” Marivel Antoinette told CBS News New York she was the woman who let the police into the apartment, adding Colon was her boyfriend of two years. She alleged that she was not shown the warrant and that police forced themselves in, damaging the door. “I’m angry. It’s like, I should’ve stood in the room because he was my ride-and-die partner. He was my king, I was his queen,” Antoinette said. An NYPD spokesperson said, “The entire incident was depicted on the officers’ body worn-cameras and that footage shows the officers were given permission to enter the residence.” A friend and neighbor of Antoinette’s said of Colon’s apparent weapon, “The gun was hidden in the bedroom and they just killed him for no reason.”
