NYC cop who nearly killed man during mental breakdown should be canned: CCRB

A cop who shot and nearly killed a Bronx man in the middle of a mental-health breakdown should be kicked off the force, according to the city’s civilian oversight panel.The final determination on the recommendation — the most severe that can be issued by the Civilian Complaint Review Board — could ultimately be the call of newly appointed police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.Officer Derek Bernard was one of two cops who shot knife-wielding Raul de la Cruz almost immediately after responding to his father’s 311 call for help during the son’s mental-health episode in 2023.The other officer resigned from the NYPD before the CCRB could issue its report on him, making its potential findings on his actions moot.But the CCRB recently handed down their most severe recommendation for Bernard: termination.And while there’s still a long road ahead in the disciplinary process — including a challenge from the NYPD, more CCRB hearings and an administrative trial — before Tisch will make the final call, Cruz and the lawyers representing him in a federal lawsuit against the city and the officers are already hailing the recommendation.“We cannot tolerate one more death or near death of a New Yorker with a mental disability at the hands of the NYPD,” said Maureen Belluscio, a lawyer for Cruz who works at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.As for Cruz, 44, he said, “I still don’t feel OK.“But it makes me feel good to be part of this lawsuit because I know it is a step to getting justice.”Cruz spent months in the hospital after the shooting, which left him in hemorrhagic shock from the immense blood loss.He also had multiple organs damaged — and some removed altogether — thanks to the gunshot wounds to his chest and leg.In March 2023, Cruz was visiting family in the Bronx when he started to become distressed. His father dialed 311 seeking help for his son, who he explained to the dispatcher was going through a mental-health crisis and suffered from ...