Especially since all a cop has to do is say it looked like he was reaching for a gun and he gets off any charges. Hopefully the cop goes away for second degree murder.

I wonder if the off duty officer in the car was really asleep or is she just going to side with the NYPD?

This is disgusting.

how could he be reaching for a drill with both hands on the wheel?!?!?

Reaching for an electric drill?!? You gotta be kidding me. This murderer needs prison w/o possibility of parole. The chair would be fine, too.

And sleeping in the back of the car is a BS story.

Not just New York. They're all cut from the same cloth.

The off-duty police officer in the car, who was in the backseat, told investigators she was asleep when the shooting happened.

Yea, I do not like making any assumptions but one sleeps through being pull over by the cops? And of course this person is an off-duty cop. Looks like someone doesn't want to do the right thing and deal with the consequences from their fellow officers. Sleeping my arnse!

Police said Polanco reached under his seat and appeared to grab for a yellow electric power drill with a black handle.

And how the heck can someone mistake a "yellow electric power drill with a black handle" as a gun? What the heck did the officer think it was? A big fat cartoon gun?

There's definitely some fishy about these "detectives" stories

Cops watching too many cop shows on TV. Shoot first, then tell some story to cover it up. Why are guns drawn on a routine traffic pullover? The off-duty officer in the back seat slept through a shooting? Wow! Sounds like a plot for a TV cop show. My condolences to the victim's family. I hope they get justice and a hefty compensation for their loss.

He reached for a drill??? Was there a drill under the seat?? No doubt this is a BS story and the road rage by police is correct.They want to be god and the detective who shot him from the passenger side wanted to be god of gods.

Its NYC..forget that they shot a unarmed man...in NYC they will shoot a man without arms (limbs) even.

If the off duty officer wants to keep his job and LIFE he better have been asleep.

This is VERY Typical.

Off duty officer in vehicle was a she not a he. And your correct what you said.

How can anyone be asleep after all that happen before the shooting even???

My sympathies this is like an old song just cowards glad they dont get issued capes like super heros cause that they are not its a good thing the public dont act this way i can just hear the excuses he was grabbing his keys thought he was gonna shoot me, people would be killing people all the time. These gangs are killing innocent people all the time. I think people should stand up for each other and use these people as an example lie for each other cover up for each other etc

WTH, who keeps electric drills under their seats? Even constuction guys knows that's just dumb. What a load of BS for cover up. Did they confiscate the drill? Road rage is exactly right............Just cause they were cops don't mean they own the roads.

And take those damn stupid shows off tv they are responsible for lives it makes all crave for excitement that they have to go look for

Oh man.. my heart goes out to this poor kid. What a shame. Hard working, joined the forces and wanted to be a cop himself. Those son of a bitch cops man!

It sounds to me like absolute total road rage cop as mentioned in the story. The witness said his hands never left the wheel. That Mother Fcker man.....

I hope the hell that this cop goes down. There should be silhouettes of his hands on the steering wheel from them blocking the blood splatter at those two locations. Not to mention a witness under oath saying exactly what she saw.

Oh, and and "off duty" police officer in the car at the time of the shooting that just "HAPPEN" to be sleeping. Yeah, Right! She said she was asleep. UGH! It'll all come out in the wash. Then, this cop will be seeing eye to eye with other guys he put behind bars except this time, they'll be on the same side. if this cop was smart, he may want to snuff himself out now.

RIP dude...

Definitely not just New York. There are crooked scumbag cops all over our nation. I think many of them are kids who were bullied in school and are looking to get even with society. I mean, what kind of person wants to take a job where your responsibility (for the most part) is to ruin the days of as many citizens as possible?

What will happen is that the family will be bought off with a tidy settlement courtesy of the taxpayers and the cop will go on his merry way. Guaranteed.

When asked; the police officer said "he should have armed himself, if he is going to cut me off".

I wonder if the off duty officer in the car was really asleep or is she just going to side with the NYPD?

She's claiming she was asleep so that she doesn't have to take sides. And how do you sleep through such an incident, unless you're drunk or stoned out of your mind?

The police are out of control.

.

While I sympathize with the guy who was killed, I think it is too early to jump to conclusions over what happened. The only thing certain is that it is a shame he died. I hope justice is served, not vengeance.

i'm trying to picture how the driver could be shot in the stomach if he was reaching under his seat?

this sounds like the perfect case for BONES to investigate.

But alas, a cop shot him, so no REAL and PROPER investigation will occur.

Just another example of The Brotherhood covering each others back.

THIS IS WHY COPS ARE NOT RESPECTED - even by law abiding citizens.

F*** POLICE! Can't even trust these dirt bags anymore..

Are the cops ex-military, as well? That's all they hire where I live. Scares the bejesus out of lawabiding citizens, since you never know when one of them will go off on an innocent person, like these NY cops. Doesn't seem to have much effect on all the drug dealers, illegals, pimps and hardened criminals, though.

This is certainly not just happening in New York, cops are like this all over the country. They know they can do whatever they want and get away with it. A cop shot and killed a man in a wheel chair in Houston a week or two ago that only had one leg and one arm and was supposedly threatening the cop with a ball point pen, the FBI are "looking in to it". Last week a cop shot an unarmed man in Dallas 41 times in a traffic stop and his buddies covered it up, they are "looking" in to that too. This is not likely to stop because of the culture we as a nation tolerate in our police force. None of the other western democracies tolerate this from their police forces. At some point I hope that we get a better quality cop and address the issues with this code of silence the cops are allowed to get away with, it is pretty scary when a cop pulls you over and you have to fear for your life. At the very least they are rude and arrogant. We just need need better cops and weed out these murderers.

Ok this is what I see wrong already:

Detective shoots the driver through the passengers side of the car with a person sitting in the passengers seat while the driver is allegedly leaning across the seat for something on the floor on the passengers side....with a passenger in the seat next to him?

Person in backseat is asleep during this entire event?

Once the police pull you over they make anyone who appears to be asleep wake up, so we all know that that part is an outright lie, but the first part.....Science fiction comes to mind.

I'm sorry, but these cops are making NWA song seem pretty applicable today.. seriously F@#$ the police! These is freaking cold blooded murder any way you even pretend to stretch it. I hope that son of a bitch gets the needle. F@#$ 2nd degree, this is 1st degree. If he was just a standard a-hole (rather than cop a-hole) who stalked, stopped, and murdered someone who cut him off, he'd be getting a cold needle in his arm.

As for their absolute b-s story about him reaching under the seat for a power drill, what if he was getting his license and registration?

This is NYC right? Check the goddamn traffic cams, and bloody well release the footage. For that matter, release the cop's dash cam as well.

I'm usually the person that jumps in to defend police officers. My cousin was a police officer killed in the line of duty. He pulled someone over that was speeding, and it turned out to be a parolee that shot him. So I know that police officers need to be extremely cautious whenever they're pulling someone over.

However, even I'm scratching my head at this story. The woman in the back was asleep the whole time? And one person is saying his hands were on the wheel the whole time, and the other is saying that he was reaching under the seat. It's not like those are even similar stories that could be taken differently from different points of view. They better investigate this (preferably by an independent agency, and not the NYPD that has a stake in this), and if the cops are lying, they need to be arrested. This is tragic.

Another senseless police shooting. They think they have a license to kill. I don't believe for a second the off duty cop in the back seat was asleep the whole time. She is probably being intimidated.

this on smells of a bad shoot.

first the guy was army trained, not to do anything stupid with a police officer.

second, coming from work, no alcohol involved, witness in car, question to ask, how long was the stop, was it daylight yet, window up, cop standing next to the window, (a real no no)..

The BLUE WALL!!!!!!!!!!!

They will do anything to protect one of their own! They will even cover up the MURDER of a friend!!

NO WAY SHE SLEEP THOUGHT THE CHASE!!!!!!

COP=LAIR

Just last week in Philly a cop beat the tar out of a women, now NYC cop are killing Vet's...

It's used to be that a cop was a friend, not any more ... and they ask you why you run....

Cop's nothing more then arms for the Citys, Local or States for generating REVENUE...If no one is in cuffs they make no money, Lawyer, Judges, Clerks, Dept of Corrections, Parole officers, and the people that piss test you...

I have to wonder the same as some of the other posters, was that off-duty cop REALLY asleep? Doesn't seem to me like she would be, seems more like she's coping out. Normally I defend police officers actions but I was also the target of a police mans agenda when I bypassed his car and he pulled me over for doing one mile over the speed limit. To this day I think he was just upset because I passed him and wasn't 'in awe' over his authority so I would completely understand and believe that those cops would act with aggression if they thought a civilian slighted them. If that's the case and they killed this kid in cold blood I can only hope they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. I'm tired of hearing about police officers getting a slap on the wrist for their inappropriate actions.

My thoughts and prayers to his family and friends, it's impossible to make sense of this kind of senselessness, I just hope they can find peace and justice.

People who kill cops usually get the death penalty; therefore, cops who kill unarmed people should also get the death penalty!

ty commenters for makeing my day, i got to the 13th "thread" (?) and then gave up on trying to find a single person on the side of these thugs posing as cops.

condolences to the family of the outstanding young man whos life was cut short by rage filled pigs!

Quite a lot of information missing. Sorry for the young man and what seems to be an over-reaction by the police. I find it difficult to believe, however, the off-duty officer in the back could have slept through the incident. Seems like there was some sort of confrontation while still driving (cops giving the middle-finger and screaming obscenities). I'll bet there's more to it than they're letting out...

I don't really agree with some of your commits, don't think the should receive the needle, think they should at least get life without parole(if they make it) and be released into the prison general population, instead of protective custody, they'll last longer than the kid they shot by a few minutes. And for the broad in the back seat, I'm not sure, but I think she just committed conspiracy to a felony, guess she should be gone too, instead of trying to cover her tracks, she should have told the truth, unless she is a really heavy sleeper and hadn't slept for 24 to 36 hours. I used to last 36 hours straight and the reason why? We'll let's just say give her a piss test and see what happen. Road rage, you bet, stupidity, you bet. With all the training the cops get you would never think of such stupidity would be hired, let alone detectives.

Another case of some NYC trigger-pumping hot-lead spewing flaming-death dealing moron with a badge who think that makes him completely unaccountable for what he does. This time one of these badged belligerants murdered a miliatary hero just to slake the thirst of his outrage and anger in a traffic stop for being cut off. He should be frog-marched out of the police, tried for muder, convicted and sentenced to death. Maybe somewhere in his endless appeals he will get partially cured from being a complete psychopath and have some sense of the monster that he is and what he has done before he gets juiced with the needle. Message to the rest of us, never go to NYC for anything. The psychopathic police are itching for any reason at all to spray bullets everywhere, shoot bystanders and kill innocent people and murder someone for nothing more than a traffic infraction.

If guns are outlawed, only Gestapo thugs will have guns. Today, you are executed because they don't like your driving...tomorrow, maybe because they take a shine to something in your car.

The drill was probably a made up story by the cops when they found him to be unarmed, remember the passenger said he kept his hands on the steering wheel at all times, then the cop comes up with the story that he was reaching for a drill under the drivers seat, yep that's what I always go for when I'm pulled over by the cops.

Of course it's a made up story, what idiot would reach for something for a minor traffic stop?

His record is clean Robert. So once again, why would he reach for...a drill?

Because the cop has to have some excuss for killing someone while he was angry.

Really Robert? You think that someone who had something to hide or a warrant would go for a drill? Like someone would be thinking - if I pull out this cordless drill on the cops, they're going to let me go cause they don't want me pulling out a screw and screwing it in their head?

This is a prime example of what happens when you disarm the citizens such as in New York and the upper East coast. Police are affraid of their own shadow and are carrying guns. They should all be disarmed and issued pellet guns or rubber bands, that might cause a nasty red whealt on a person's skin.

Cops in New York are corrupt, gun thugs that need to all be replaced as well as the politicians that suport them. I have to ask if all the New Yorkers are mindless sheep that are afraid of the corrupt government officials and are these government officials all joined with the Mob?

Recently, I have met a few families that have just relocated to Texas from New York who all said the same thing, "They were afarid of the cops there and the Government officials because bad things happen to those who stand up against them". The first thing they all did was to go purchase fire arms here in Texas.

Lazarus

Larry your comment makes no sense. If more people have guns in NYC, the cops would be more nervous, not less. Crime, except for new I-phones is down in NYC, and there might be problems with some cops, but I bet it is the same ratio as in TX.

Smells like murder........

This jerk will get desk duty, while the mother has to bury her son.

If this happened to my son, I would lethally take it out on the cop and his partner.

No Mercy for this $ick!!!!!

Hope they release the detectives names and someone puts a bounty on their heads.

That would be fitting for the grieving mother.

NO LIBERAL BS REPLIES OR PRO COP SUPPORT- these jerks dug thier own graves.........

The kid was going to be an officer of the law and was in the service. I think he was discipline enough to follow orders and not reach for anything that looks like a gun. BS all the way around. The bar for being a cop must be really low these days.

41 times they shot that dude, the groom, because he took out his wallet and the cops panicked. This case though, it sounds like murder.

its going to come to a point where riots will start.

Drill? Maybe they were trying to stop him from becoming a dentist on the island of misfit toys.

Truthfully I doubt the cop cares. He's a LEO; he's entitled.

If the door was shut (shot through the glass opening), you can't see that low in a car...,

Or if the door was open, the driver must have been standing up behind the open door (like having one leg on the ground and one in the car) with the cop backing up towards the front of the car and shooting thru the glass opening of the 'open' door... we can't tell from the story... but if he was shot sitting down with hands on the wheel, bullet path will show that.... but this is only speculation... I say it was murder personally. And I can't see the other person (off-duty cop) can sleep through a traffic stop... That one doesn't pass the smell test..

Testosterone + adrenaline + steroids + caffeine + position of authority = death.

My opinion is also that this cop has a mental health problem that would fuel unnecessary rage.

RIP young man. My sincerest condolences to your family.

You seem to forget one thing. The police, district attorney & the judges all work for the same company. chances are he will get time off with pay or assigned to a desk job & the courts will find the shooting justified because the idiot thought he was reaching for that could hurt him like a wet noodle or something.

Cops are just as bad here in Seattle!! A couple of years ago, a scumbag cop MURDERED a homeless NATIVE AMERICAN and got away with it!!

And in the "courts" owned by the citizens, people are forced to remove their various clothing items, and everything they carry, and go through a "x-ray" detector. Court "personnel" and various "cops", etc. are allowed in, even with a gun. The sheep accept this; it's all part of a fascist country out of control to protect the "government" from its "citizens". It's an attitude of, you're not humans, you're animals to be controlled.

Health care for the world, but here with premiums twice as high as complete coverage for every citizen in all industrialized countries except here, and health results like 42nd in the world, we have some "people" screaming, keep the system it's "capitalism".

"Government" "criminal" pensions, some "teachers" retiring at up to $100,000 a year, for 6+ months of "work", a "helping" profession that requires only a bachelor's degree, and tenure for life, meanwhile results of poor to mixed for the students. Education costs at all time highs, with students burderned for life with loans and no comparable job for their education, and college presidents making $450,000 a year and up, and retiring at up to over $40,000 a month, some retiring in their 50's along with others. Taxes in every form imaginable helping to keep citizens down. Wake up sheep.

The "rich" and the "government" of the "government" are not, these days, your ally, but are sucking you dry. The "government" is not captialism at work, but beaucracy. Meanwhile, in spite of many, including cops being overpaid and over pensioned, some with complete medical benefits after 20 years, able to retire in their 50's, the average capitalist citizen is being told, no Medicare you paid for(which we could have for everyone), it's too "expensive", and the average capitalist citizen gets a paltry $1,200 a month, compared to $8,000 per month for some teachers, we are told that Social Security was spent for the "government" "programs".

There's a lot wrong here, wake up sheep.

model railroad man,

Don't forget about the couple of incidents where they beat the hell of people because they "fit the description" aka were brown skinned. I moved to Seattle from Detroit a few years ago and I swear the cops here kill and beat more people by far than back home, and they get paid a huge salary to do it, I'm no hippie type but that's just plain wrong.

Worn out --- as to your last sentence? The people of Dearborn would love to take our city back! But where would we relocate 75% of it? In your hometown? We're tired of our entire community being a "hot zone" with more and more "relatives" of the majority being sponsored by them and arriving in droves.

BTW, did you know even McDonald's have bilingual signs? Arabic/Urdu and English.

Just another example of NIMBY.

Good Input HarleMan.

Wasted lives paid for with tax payer monies!?! But why would police departments care about wasting either when it's not pulling their heart strings or wallet flaps?

Now there's some money politicians could be doing something about to save, as they clean house in police departments around the country.

Cities need people like you and your mother on the Councils and Assemblies.

Asleep? Since it appears they were being CHASED, most likely with sirens and those bright, blinding lights, and both other occupants yelling about what was going on before they even pulled over, even a person on Ambien would wake up. I wonder how many years she has been a police officer? Most likely just a few and has already been intimidated.

I agree, but I imagine a lot of people are afraid they might be shot by rogue cops.

I want to know when the honest cops are going to stand up and say enough. They are out there. They are afraid too, but hey, it's their job to do the right thing. Bad cops are a menace to all of us, honest cops and all citizens. Enough already. Hold bad cops accountable and fire them. No more lies, deceit and cover-ups.

There is no way they could have seen this man "reach" for anything. I call foul. I only wish/hope they had a camcorder in that van or someone on the street got a video. Hopefully there are witnesses brave enough to come forward and support this young man's friend.

It seems there are bad cops all over this country and Portland is no different. It is time for citizens to be safe again, from the POLICE. Cops should be held to a higher standard. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime (this applies to the police, too).

NO Step, the cop wont lose his job. Usually the police will say he was following police procedure and they will review it. It's almost impossible for a cop to see any jail time and if he does it is in a special prison away from the rest of the criminals.

No jail time, a police appointed doctor will say he has TriggerHappy-itis...a common disease afflicting police officers in NYC.

As soon as I heard that the officer was asleep I said yeah right, if she would testify her career would be over because she would be a RAT in their eyes. I know it's not all police but I try to have as little contact as possible with any officers because any situation can spiral out of control quickly and you will be lying on the ground dead.

Agreed, my thoughts exactly. My first question after finding out she was in the car was wondering what her statement would be. I'm not surprised she was "asleep" after apparently getting pulled over. The officers must have been WHISPERING to the young gentleman in concerns to waking her up.

I do feel a little sorry for the off-duty officer "sleeping" in the back seat because she's been put into a total no-win situation. if she does the right thing and testifies against her fellow police officers she's going to have to find a new line of work in a different part of the country. I she doesn't she's going to have to live with her conscience.

Police Officers must be held to a higher standard simply because they have the authority and carry a gun. It should start by more effective screening of potential candidates. That being said, I would hate to think of a world without police officers, human nature being what it is. My sincere condolences to this family.

The thugs in blue are also protected by the law. Out of several stories I've read where cops should have been punished by the law, I have yet to read where one has actually been sent to the slammer...kinda like our politicians and celebrities. Must be nice being above the law...

The police officer who was "asleep" at the time is alrady cutting a deal by offering that preposterous claim. She has been on restricted duty (without a gun and badge) for months because of allegations of misconduct. She is buying back her full duty status with the blood of this victim...

"already"...

The officer in the back seat could tell the truth, bringing justice to the deranged shooter. Afterwards, she could enjoy a promising career in Internal Affairs.

Out of several stories I've read where cops should have been punished by the law, I have yet to read where one has actually been sent to the slammer

Were you born yesterday? Google Drew Peterson. I'm fairly confident this detective will see time. But I doubt it will be enough time.

Just murder, but, Hassan Hamdy will get a psychological evaluation. Be deemed stressed, then a commendation and be called a hero.. it what Americans do best. Everyone wearing a uniform is a hero...

I thought the same thing about the woman in the back seat. It kind of adds insult to injury for her to lie about sleeping. Cops are animals.

Normally I am a strong proponent of law enforcement, but here it really smells fishy

Agreed.

Where I have questions is regarding the off duty officer in the back seat supposedly asleep. Very possible she is lying to stay out of it. Also very possible that she was asleep or just plain passed out since they were coming from a bar and it was after 5A. Hopefully, the truth will be revealed during the investigation. If she witnessed this crime against her friend, she needs to speak up.

If she tells what she saw she will be labeled a RAT plain and simple and her Police career will be over, she is doing what's she gotta do to survive. Shame.

Hopefully, the truth will be revealed during the investigation.

But I doubt it will.

I can understand your doubtful frustration but as you can see, this is receiving national attention, the front seat passenger is a witness and possibly the off-duty officer in the back seat. Mr. Polanco was not a thug. The man worked two jobs. He served this country and it sounds as though his family will not let this rest. I hope that you're surprised and that Hamdy is charged and convicted along with the other officers involved in his murder.

Post #40 brings up an excellent point:

When getting pulled over by the Cops, who doesn't wake up their Cop buddy in the back seat?

That should have been an obvious one and unless the officer in the back was sick passed out drunk, will have to go along with many of the other posters doubting the "sleeping" alibi. This woman needs to re-evaluate her priorities and ethics and take a stand for her friend.

I respectfully fear you are right...............

My husband once got pulled over for a brake light being out, he was almost to his work place, less than a block, so he pulled into his work and got out of the car. The officer pulled up behind him, got out and pulled his gun, ordering my husband to get back into his car. My husband said, "go ahead and shoot me, you see those cameras up there?" (The building my husband works in has four cameras covering the parking area) The officer quickly holstered his firearm, and then proceeded to lecture my husband about not getting out of the car when being pulled over, but my husband didn't get any kind of ticket. My husband was an officer before, and he told me a little about how you never know if the next person you pull over is the one that has a gun and will shoot you, but still, good god. I don't mind guns, guns are good protection...but jumpy people with guns I don't think is a good combination, goes right along with idiots that don't learn enough about handling a firearm to not acidentally shoot themselves or someone else.

So your husband got out of his car anyway? Sounds like a cop, do as I say, not as I do.

Wolfbaby

Welcome to the police state. It's not a little Orwellian, it's a lot Orwellian. They want people to be intimidated. That's the whole point.

I've always wanted to see NY, but from what you said, I've changed my mind.

Yeah me to....don't sound like a nice place with dose bad a_s copper T's just shooting 1st and axing questions later. I ain't going to NYC anytime soon bro.

The band of brothers in blue have become just another out-of-control gang. Anyone who belives the "sister" cop could sleep throughout this murder is delusional. She is afraid of losing her own job/life which is a real possibilty if she tell the truth. Cops continue to murder/abuse innocent citizens without fear of retribution will only grow unless the fear-factor is reversed. Courts have to step up to the plate and listen to the people. No more bad cops!

Sounds alot like Detoilet except

Detoilet has no police so the citizenry shoot each other

otherwise, just about the same.