Lawyer Wants Special prosecutor in case of Latino Man who died in custody - Beaten with Flashlights by Suffolk County Police

 
24 year old kid mysteriously killed in precinct (Kenny Lazo) [YOUTUBE]
As Kenny Lazo's family prepared for his wake Wednesday, a lawyer hired by the mother of his son called on Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota to request a special prosecutor to investigate his death while in police custody last weekend.

Lazo, 24, died after collapsing in the Third Precinct in Bay Shore on Saturday after what police said was a violent struggle with three officers who were attempting to arrest him by the side of the Southern State Parkway. Police have admitted to beating him with flashlights after he reached for one of the officer's guns.

The medical examiner's preliminary autopsy indicates none of Lazo's injuries caused his death and that he had an enlarged heart and cocaine in his system when he died, said a police source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The source said Lazo had bruising to the back of his neck from being struck with the flashlight and cuts on his face from being tackled. When he was seated with Third Precinct detectives in an interview room, he apologized for having put up a fight, the source said.

"The officers are besides themselves with grief," said the source. Police said Lazo was initially cooperative when he was asked to pull over on the Southern State Parkway, but later elbowed a detective who approached him and ran off.

Meanwhile, the family has arranged for a second, independent autopsy to determine his cause of death, they said. Edmond Chakmakian, attorney for Jennifer Gonzalez, mother of Lazo's 5-year-old son, said a witness who was in the Third Precinct Saturday has come forward to say he saw one of the officers apparently involved in Lazo's arrest take out his flashlight and describe the beating to colleagues in the precinct lobby.

Chakmakian said the witness, whom he did not name, was at the precinct because he was the victim of an assault. The witness allegedly saw the officers "laughing as they demonstrated to their colleagues how they beat Mr. Lazo."

The family held a vigil outside the precinct last night in which they renewed their call for an investigation. Demonstrators held signs with Lazo's photograph and shouted "Police brutality must end!"

"It doesn't matter why he was arrested," said Lazo's girlfriend, Juana Emily Cabrera. "All that matters right now is that he was killed. Kenny needs justice. He's not going to rest in peace until there's justice."

Police released a brief statement when asked for a more detailed timeline of when Lazo arrived at the precinct, when an ambulance was called, when he collapsed and when he died, along with other information, including any details on his cause of death and the history of the involved officers.

Tim Motz, a police spokesman, said the officers acted defensively, not offensively.

"At this point in time, we don't know what drugs may have been in Mr. Lazo's system, and we don't know if he had an underlying medical condition that may have contributed to his death," Motz's statement read. "It is the position of the police department that as soon as Mr. Lazo needed medical attention, CPR was immediately administered and an ambulance was called."

Chakmakian said his request for a special prosecutor is not meant to suggest that the district attorney would not conduct an impartial investigation. Spota's office did not reply to a request for comment.

Joining Chakmakian's request for an independent investigation is the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Donna Lieberman.

"If there's wrongdoing, they need to be held accountable," she said. "And we can't count on the police department to make that happen without an independent investigation."

Lazo's wake is scheduled for Rose's Funeral Home in Bay Shore from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today and 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow. A funeral and burial will take place Friday. [MORE]