Family demands to see loved one shot by police as he recovers in hospital

Family members of a man shot by police say they haven't been able to visit their loved on while he recovers in a hospital.

News 12 Staff

Jul 11, 2019, 11:35 PM

Updated 1,773 days ago

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Family members of a man shot by police say they haven't been able to visit their loved on while he recovers in a hospital.
The family of Ronny Cole gathered outside NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Thursday alongside the Rev. Kevin McCall to demand to see Cole. He has been in the hospital since Sunday, when he was shot by police officers.
Police say Cole broke a rear window of a car and claimed the car was his, but failed to show the correct keys. A witness video shows Cole elbow past an officer before being wrestled to the ground.
"What you hear quite clearly on it is, as they're struggling, the suspect says, 'I have a gun' he curses and he tells the officer he's going to die," says NYPD Police Chief Terence Monahan. "Moments after, you hear the shots go off."
Authorities say they recovered a loaded gun at the scene. Cole faces weapons charges on top of a count of auto stripping as he recovers at the hospital.
Cole was last listed in stable condition. His family says they just want to make sure he is OK.
"In spite of what happened, it doesn't matter, he's still a human being and he deserves to have visitors," says McCall, founder of the Crisis Action Center.
NYC Health + Hospitals says the NYPD determines visitation rights for patients they bring into the hospital.
News 12 reached out to the NYPD about their protocol, but has not yet heard back.


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