Glenn Broadnax has been charged with assault after the NYPD officers who attempted to shoot him missed, striking two innocent bystanders instead.
In September, Broadnax jumped in front of oncoming traffic in Times Square—typically a guaranteed way to commit suicide. Police say he resisted their attempts to take him into custody, then reached into his pocket. Assuming he was reaching for a gun, two officers opened fire, but instead of shooting Broadnax, they hit two pedestrians.
Broadnax was originally charged with drug possession, resisting arrest, and menacing, but the Manhattan District Attorney campaigned for the assault charge. "The defendant is the one that created the situation that injured innocent bystanders," Shannon Lucey, assistant district attorney, explained to the New York Times.
Mariann Wang, who's representing one of the women the NYPD shot, disagrees, saying "It's the police who injured my client," not Broadnax.
As for Broadnax, he was convinced he was speaking to dead relatives when the incident occurred. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail and faces up to 25 years in jail if convicted. His attorney, Rigodis Appling, said his client was reaching for his wallet, not a weapon.
The two officers are on administrative leave and both the District Attorney and NYPD are conducting separate investigations.
[via Gawker and New York Times]
