NEW YORK POLICE SHOOT AND KILL BLACK MAN AFTER MISTAKING PIPE HE WAS HOLDING FOR A GUN

A man of African-American descent identified as Saheed Vassell was shot and killed in Brooklyn by three plain-clothes officers and one uniformed officer after they mistook a pipe he was holding for a gun and shot him ten times.
Saheed, 34, a bipolar man died of his injuries at the hospital sparking the threat of a fresh outrage and widespread protests in the U.S.

The Pipe that Vassell pointed at the officers prior to the fatal shooting

New York prosecutors are reportedly looking into the shooting. Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, said:

"We’re committed to conducting an independent, comprehensive and fair investigation."

The officers who were responding to report of a man pointing a gun at pedestrians said Vassell took a two-handed shooting stance and pointed an object at them believing it was a gun, they opened fire on him wounding him fatally.

The New York Police Department released a CCTV footage showing Vassell pointing the pipe at pedestrians and incomplete transcripts of three 911 calls to back their claims the officers acted on impulse of facing an armed man without confirmation he was holding a gun or not.

In the 911 call, one of the callers could be heard saying:

"There’s a guy walking around the street, he looks like he’s crazy but he’s pointing something at people that looks like a gun and he’s pulling the trigger."

More than 1,000 people had indicated on Facebook that they would attend a peaceful rally in demand of justice for late Vassell.