By David PomerantzAstoria, New York—As the body of a man who had been shot dead by a police officer while in custody at a New York City-area detention center is being buried, the man’s father has taken to the Internet to tell his story.
Richard James Dolan, 66, was pronounced dead at the hospital on Friday afternoon after being shot by NYPD Officer William Lattanzi at the Astoria Borough Correctional Center, a facility in the Bronx.
The New York Daily News first reported the incident.
The news media was told about the incident via the city’s coroner’s office and local media, but the NYPD has not yet released any information about the circumstances surrounding the death.
According to Dolan’s obituary, the Dolan family owns a bakery in Astoria, and he was involved in the business for 20 years.
He was a member of the Borough Council and had served on the city council from 1996 to 2016.
In a phone interview with the New York Post, Dolan said he had just come from a rally in support of the New Jersey State Assembly on Tuesday.
He said he was “doing some yard work” when he was approached by Lattansi and another officer.
Lattanzis partner said they had just arrived for a shift change when he saw Dolan and Dolans partner, who was not wearing a mask, in the parking lot.
The man’s partner, a corrections officer, told him that Lattanasi was holding a gun to his head and that Dolan had been fired.
He then said he believed Dolan was unarmed and asked Lattanzis partner to turn his body over to him.
Lettanzis girlfriend told the Post that she was at the store at the time.
Dolan also told the New Post that Lettanzi had grabbed his girlfriend and told her that she had a gun and was going to shoot him.
Dolan said his partner then tried to grab his girlfriend, but Dolan hit her in the head with his Taser.
Doyle told the paper that he had called 911 before the shooting, and that the officer who fired the shot, who has been identified as Dolan himself, told Dolan that the man had been acting erratically.
A bystander told the Daily News that he saw Lattlanzi put the gun down on Dolan.
The man was later identified as James Dola, who is also an Astoria resident.
Dola was the father of five children, including two girls.
