By Tiffany Williams –
BROOKLYN — The state’s police watchdog has opened a probe into the fatal police shooting of Justin Coleman, who died after a bloody clash with cops outside an NYPD precinct in Brooklyn on Sept. 7.
According to officials, Coleman showed up at the rear door of the 73rd Precinct around 5:28 a.m., where he suddenly slashed an officer with a knife before bolting. Cops gave chase and cornered him at Saratoga Avenue and Park Place. Coleman allegedly charged at one of the officers, still wielding the blade. That’s when two officers opened fire, striking him.
Coleman was rushed to a nearby hospital but couldn’t be saved. The officer who was slashed survived, was treated at a hospital, and has since been released. Police say they recovered the knife at the scene.
By law, the state Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation must review every case where police may have caused a death. That mandate covers on-duty and off-duty officers, whether the person who died was armed, unarmed, in custody, or free. If OSI finds cause, it conducts a full-blown investigation — which is now underway in Coleman’s case.
The deadly encounter has put a spotlight once again on split-second decisions by cops and the AG’s oversight role, with investigators now combing through the Brooklyn shooting.