© Laura FigueroaNYPD Officer Miosotis Familia was killed when a man shot her in the head as she sat in her marked NYPD car on Wednesday, July 5, 2017, police said.
Miosotis Familia, 48, was shot in the head shortly after midnight while she and her partner were sitting in a marked police vehicle. She was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she died, the New York Police Department said. Familia was "assassinated in an unprovoked attack on cops" when a suspect shot through the window of the officer's vehicle, said James O'Neill, the New York police commissioner.
Police encountered a male suspect, identified as Alexander Bonds, 34, running about one block from the scene. The suspect allegedly drew a revolver as officers confronted him, and he was shot and killed by police, O'Neill said. A silver revolver was recovered at the scene, police said. Dispatch audio of the moments after Familia was shot reveal her partner frantically calling for help.
"Shots fired!" the officer's partner says. "Give me a f****** bus!" Police said Familia worked in the 46th Precinct, which tweeted out a photo of the officer.
An apparent bystander also was struck by a bullet during the encounter, police said. The person, who was not identified, is in stable condition at a hospital.
Comment: Of course no mention on who fired the bullet that struck the bystander. The NYPD has a history of hitting innocent victims on the sidelines with their stray bullets...
Suspect's background
The suspect, also known as John Bonds, was arrested in Syracuse in July 2005 for robbery in the first degree, according to the Onondaga County, New York, district attorney.
Bonds received an eight-year sentence, with five years of post-release supervision, and was transferred to Elmira state prison in 2006, according to a statement from the district attorney. He also had a criminal record for sale of a controlled substance in New York state, according to Thomas Mailey, spokesman for the York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
'Pain and heartbreak'
Familia was also a mother of three, the New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said. "Fully knowing the dangers that she faced, she suited up in uniform everyday and stood tall against those who threaten and terrorize the good folks of the Bronx," the union said in a statement. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio praised Familia and the actions of officers who responded to the shooting. "She was on duty, serving this city, protecting people, doing what she believed in and doing the job she loved," de Blasio told reporters. "After this sudden and shocking attack, her fellow officers came to her aid immediately."
US Sen. Chuck Schumer called the shooting "terrible news," and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that all New Yorkers "share in the pain and heartbreak caused by her death."
Comment: Unfortunately attacks on police only increase as police themselves become more violent, furthering the cycle of violence. As police feel more threatened, they are more likely to use deadly force, upsetting relatives and their communities. When attacks on police happen, they are used as justification for more and more use of deadly force against civilians. Also notice the style in which the story was relayed by CNN, we have the police narrative being accepted uncritically and the alleged suspect's criminal history shared. It would be interesting to discover if Familia had made any complaints of corruption recently, given the NYPD's history of retaliation against whistleblowers.