The NYPD’s top cop said Monday that it will take a grand jury investigation to get to the bottom of a traffic stop that turned deadly last week.
Speaking to reporters just before the Columbus Day parade, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said there are still unanswered questions surrounding the death of Noel Polanco, a 23-year-old member of the Army National Guard who was pulled over by cops for erratic driving along the Grand Central Parkway on October 4.
Hassan Hamdy, a specially-trained detective fired a shot at Polanco, killing him, after he approached his car, later saying he thought Polanco was reaching for a gun. No weapons were found in Polanco’s car, however there was a power drill on the floor near his seat.
“It will require what I believe to be a grand jury investigation to determine precisely what happened there,” Kelly said today.
In 2011, a grand jury investigation into the NYPD brought to light the ticket-fixing scandal that made headlines. That same year, NYPD officers testified to a grand jury about information leaked to the press in a terror investigation. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown is currently investigating Polanco’s death.
Meanwhile, public advocate Bill de Blasio also called for answers over the weekend about the incident.
“None of what we have learned in the past two days has justified the tragic death of Noel Polanco,” de Blasio said. “His family and his community are grappling with how this could have happened to a young man who made so many right decisions, including serving his country in the National Guard. The Queens District Attorney is right to investigate. Nothing less than the full truth is acceptable.”
