‘They didn’t have to kill him’: mother says son shot by Lancaster officer was mentally ill
Patriot-NewsSep 14, 2020
LANCASTER – “They didn’t have to kill him.”
That’s what Ricardo Munoz’s mother,
The Lancaster police officer could have used a Taser or shot him somewhere other than his heart, she said, as her daughter,
When her son had an episode on Sunday, the family called crisis intervention first, and their instructions were to call the police.
“Isn’t their logo to protect and serve?”
She called her brother’s death a case of police brutality.
The police-involved shooting occurred around
A body camera video released by investigators shows the officer firing as Munoz charges at him with what appears to be a large knife in his raised right hand.
The video shows Munoz rushing out of a row home at the officer, who retreats and then fires as Munoz chases him.
But the video doesn’t tell the whole story, Peña said. She knows the video looks bad, but she said the police could have handled the situation differently because they knew he suffered from a mental-health disorder.
“I don’t know what was going through his head, none of us would,”
Peña added, “Instead of coming to help, they came here to kill him.”
Her husband and Munoz' stepfather,
If the police did not intend to kill him, they wouldn’t have shot him through the heart, Peña added.
“Where’s the Tasers? That would have been more than enough to stop him,”
Peña described her son as being a good, quiet person, but because of his condition, his mood could change quickly.
Lancaster police directed questions about the shooting the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, which is investigating.
“We continue to review and investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting and, specifically, the firing officer’s actions," a statement from the DA’s office read. "As we stated Sunday night (and as depicted in a body cam video released by Lancaster city police), our preliminary investigation shows that the officer fired as a man clearly armed with a knife ran toward the officer in a threatening manner.”
District Attorney
At a press conference earlier Monday, Lancaster Mayor
It also emphasizes inequality in the city and the need to better fund housing, social and educational services, she said.
Protesters this morning said it was out-of-town agitators who came in and caused the caused the violence.
Eight people have since been arrested in connection with the violence at the protest.
Munoz' sister, Deborah, said she supports the right to protest, but the violence needs to end.
“We do not condone violence at all. We do not need another life to be lost because of this,” she said. “We just need to come together as a community, but do it the right way with peaceful protest. Not with violence. This is not the answer either.”
___
(c)2020 The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)
Visit The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.) at www.pennlive.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.