Nearly seventeen years after an unarmed Amadou Diallo was killed by NYPD officers, one of the four cops involved in his death has copped a promotion. Kenneth Boss, the last of the four still employed with the NYPD, was promoted to sergeant Thursday (Dec. 17), a move that’s drawing criticism from Diallo’s mother.
“You have so many police officers out there who deserve to be promoted, and this man is being promoted?” Kadiatou Diallo told the New York Daily News. “For doing what? Killing my son? I don’t have any hatred or revenge in my heart, but my life was changed forever that day. This is a stab in the heart.”
Officers were in plain clothes when they shot Diallo at his Bronx apartment in 1999. The 22-year-old West African immigrant was hit with 19 of 41 shots, five of which came from Boss.
In one of the cities most well-known police brutality cases, cops claimed Diallo fit the description of another suspect when they confronted him outside the dimly lit apartment. Diallo was killed reaching for his wallet.
All four officers went on to be acquitted of second-degree murder. Diallo’s family later won a $3 million civil suit from the city in 2004. “Officer Boss has passed the Civil Service exam for promotion to sergeant,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Stephen Davis. “He is currently on full-duty status and not subject to any disciplinary or administrative hold.”
Katherine says other officers should speak out against the promotion. “Members of the NYPD should come out and say something against this. If they are brave enough, they will stand up for what’s right. This is incredible. No one in New York City would agree with this decision. This will not help relations between law enforcement and the city.”
Al Sharpton is planning a protests against the NYPD’s decision. “No one in New York City would agree with this decision,” he said. “This will not help relations between law enforcement and the city.”
Added Shaprton, “He could have been thrown off the force immediately after it happened.”
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Photo: screencap
