In the early hours of the morning, the NYPD responded to a call about a naked man causing a disturbance in a Harlem apartment building. The man, Victor Hernandez, was behaving erratically and armed with a handgun. Officer Christopher Wintermute approached Hernandez, who shot him in the chest. Fortunately, Wintermute was wearing a ballistic vest and was able to return fire. Backup officers eventually subdued Hernandez after several shots were fired.
Despite video evidence and the official report confirming the threat posed by Hernandez, his mother, Maria Hernandez, a 19-year veteran of the NYPD, is demanding an external investigation into the shooting. She questions why officers didn't attempt to use a Taser on her son instead of resorting to gunfire. However, she has not commented on the security footage showing her son's actions.
Maria Hernandez maintains that her son was not violent and portrays him as a hardworking family man without a history of mental illness or involvement in illegal activities. She believes he should have been taken into custody rather than being fatally shot.
The NYPD acknowledged the incident and announced that it would undergo an independent investigation, as is standard procedure for all police-involved shootings. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office will conduct the probe.
Despite video evidence and bodycam footage clearly depicting Victor Hernandez's attack on Officer Wintermute, his family intends to pursue an independent investigation into his death.
Overall, the incident involved an NYPD officer responding to reports of a disturbed naked man, who ended up shooting the officer before being neutralized. The shooter's mother disputes the police response and demands an investigation while portraying her son as a non-violent individual. The NYPD has agreed to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting.
