Ariel Galarza, a 49-year-old Bronx man, was killed Wednesday night (Nov. 2), after getting tasered twice by police officers, the New York Times reports. Cops responded to a call that described a man “acting violently” on 1840 Mayflower Avenue in Pelham Bay Park.
Authorities said when they entered Galarza’s home, he reportedly confronted them with a broken glass bottle. The patrol sergeant decided to use a stun gun on him, but when Galarza became violent moments after waking up, the sergeant stunned him a second time.
The second stun by the taser led to him going into cardiac arrest and the cops performed CPR immediately. After being taken to Einstein Hospital, Galarza was pronounced dead at 7:22 p.m. The NYPD launched an investigation, but no action has been taken against Sergeant William Melrose, who has been working for the 45th Precinct for 13 years. The victim was described as a “real good dude” by a 28-year-old neighbor named Derrick.
“He’s not an aggressive guy at all, he’s a real good man,” he said. “He works out in Long Island. He cuts cold cuts — he’s a deli guy. He was real good with my son. My son called him ‘Big Buddy.’”
The NYPD has increased the number of tasers from 670 to 1,710 in the last two years. The question remains: when will police brutality end?