A grand jury has chosen not to indict an NYPD officer in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old unarmed driver the cop pulled over on a busy highway near LaGuardia Airport last October.
A Queens grand jury has determined no criminal charges should be filed in the shooting death of Noel Polanco, a 22-year-old former soldier who was shot by an officer while pulled over on the Grand Central Parkway.
Polanco was on his way home to Corona from his job at the Ice Lounge in Astoria on Oct. 4th, and had offered a ride to a colleague, bartender Diana D’Ferrari, and another woman, who was an off-duty police officer, according to law enforcement sources.
As they headed home on the Grand Central Parkway, Polanco, who had spirations of becoming a cop, was pulled over after cutting off what turned out to be an unmarked police van.
When Polanco stopped the car, Detective Hassan Hamdy, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Emergency Services Unit approached the vehicle and asked him to show his hands, according to police.
The detective fired a single shot through the passenger-side window and hit Polanco in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
It’s not clear what prompted the detective to fire the shot. Sources said Hamdy may have thought Polanco was reaching for a gun under his seat. But D’Ferrari, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, said his hands were on the steering wheel “at all times” and that the officers were angry when they pulled him over.
No gun was recovered from the car.
The following statement was given by the Queens DA to YWN-NYC:
A Queens grand jury, after having met on nine separate occasions over a five week period, has now concluded its inquiry into the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of 22-year-old Noel Polanco on the Grand Central Parkway in East Elmhurst during the early morning hours of October 4, 2012, and has determined that no criminal charges are to be filed in connection therewith.
While I understand that some would want me to provide the factual and legal basis for the grand jury’s decision, I am precluded from doing so by the statutory provisions regarding grand jury secrecy. Suffice it to say, however, that this office conducted a thorough, complete and independent investigation into all of the facts and circumstances surrounding Mr. Polanco’s death. We interviewed all witnesses to that which occurred and examined all available documentary evidence.
We thereafter presented all the evidence to the grand jury and instructed it as to the applicable procedural and substantive law.
Mr. Polanco’s death remains a tragedy and I again express my sympathy to his family for their loss.
This office’s investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding Noel Polanco’s death was conducted by our Major Crimes Division headed by Executive Assistant District Attorney Charles Testagrossa and Deputy Executive District Attorney Daniel Saunders. Mr. Saunders presented the evidence resulting from our investigation to the grand jury. He was assisted by Assistant District Attorney Marilyn Filingeri from our Homicide Investigations Bureau headed by
Assistant District Attorneys Peter T. Reese and Peter J. McCormack III.
Throughout these proceedings we had the cooperation and assistance of the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau and its Forensic Investigations Division, especially its Crime Scene Unit, among others.
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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One Response
Surprise surprise! Ray “COVER UP” Kelly must be kicking back with the boys tonight! Big party taking place! Did it again! Another worthless piece of meat(in their eyes), gunned down by NY finest & the wonderfull officer walks away scott free! Only the NYPD can execute an innocent civilian in cold blood and laugh all the way to the bank! Of course the corrupt Democrat DA was in on the take! Remember the golden rule: a New York police officer can do no wrong! If there is even a slight perception of a mistake, just demonise the victim! Amadu Diallo, Gideone Bush, and now Noel Polanco.