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The increase in urban violence in America appears to be related to mental health issues, leading to an endless stream of preventable tragedies.
This appears to be the case with recently released footage of an NYPD officer-involved shooting last December, in which a policeman is forced to neutralize a suspect who strangled his mother and holds her until the officer Threatens to kill him unless he shoots him.
On the surface, a 'suicide by cop' if ever there was one.
When police arrived at the scene in Bedford Park, a young woman ran out of the apartment with slash wounds to her face.
The 911 call reported 'a man who may have been using drugs, was acting violently and was armed with a knife.'
The New York Post reported:
“Video footage released by the NYPD shows the moment An officer killed a man with a single gunshot as a suspect strangled his mother inside a Bronx apartment last December while screaming that he had a knife.
During a tense confrontation on December 23, police officer Alex Morges fired one shot at suspect Michael Dotel, striking him in the head, inches from the victim's face. The footage and the police.
The 30-year-old suspect fell backwards on the floor and was later pronounced dead at St Barnabas Hospital.
Dotel strangled the victim: his right hand was around her neck, his left hand applying additional pressure.
The police opened fire as the victim was becoming unconscious.
According to newly released bodycam footage, Dotel yells at Morges and his partner as he holds his mother in front of him as a shield.
'Shoot me, shoot me,' he shouts in the living room of the apartment and continues to challenge the police to do the same, the video shows. When Morges asks where the knife is and tells him to drop it, Dotel replies, 'I found the knife,' the footage shows.
In addition to a history of mental illness, Dotel had three open criminal cases against him at the time of the shooting.
Carlos Nieves, NYPD's assistant commissioner for public information, said an internal investigation into the shooting is ongoing.