Wali Camara, 49 was killed on Aug. 9 after being shot when a panhandler took a gun out of an NYPD officer’s holster. Now, his family will file a $20 million wrongful death suit against the city.
Camara was allegedly shot and killed by Efrain Guzman after Guzman grabbed the gun from Officer Jorge Monge. He fired 15 rounds while being tossed out of a store.
The victim worked at the A&M Deli Grocery in the Bronx. He and Guzman got into an altercation when Guzman was begging for money.
As soon as Camara tossed Guzman out of the store he tried the same thing at a store across the street. It was those people who called police.
“As a result of the tragic death of Wali Camara, the police commissioner has announced all city uniformed police officers will be receiving new, more secure, gun holsters . . . with an automatic locking system to replace the holster used at the time of Wali Camara’s death,” said lawyer Sanford Rubenstein.
The lawsuit will be filed on Tuesday on behalf of the victim’s brother-in-law, Mody Doucoure.
When officer Monge and his partner attempted to remove Guzman from the store, that is when he grabbed for the gun and began firing.
After the clip was emptied Monge’s partner shot Guzman.
Guzman, who is 30, has been indicted on a charge of second-degree murder. If he is convicted, he could face 25 years to life in prison.
The notice of the claim questions the NYPD on several things. The plaintiffs want to know how officers are trained to keep criminals from stealing their guns, why Guzman was not handcuffed and why holsters rejected by the LAPD 20 years ago are still being used by the NYPD.
“The city and NYPD have failed to respond appropriately to past complaints of faulty gun holsters and police procedure and training of bolstering a firearm, not only by their own Internal Affairs Bureau, but also the Civilian Complaint Review Board, Mollen Commission reports and other public reports,” say court documents.