Parents of Kawaski Trawick, Bronx man shot to death by NYPD, push for cops to be fired
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The parents of an emotionally disturbed Bronx man shot to death by the NYPD three years ago are still pushing for the two cops involved to be fired.
Officer Brendan Thompson tased Kawaski Trawick, 32, then shot him dead over the protests of his partner, Officer Herbert Davis. The April 19, 2019, shooting was captured on NYPD body-worn camera footage.
“They must be fired,” Trawick’s father, Ricky Trawick, said Thursday. “The delay is unacceptable.”
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark did not file any criminal charges against the officers, and the NYPD cleared them of any wrongdoing.
But the Civilian Complaint Review Board later substantiated misconduct charges against the officers and urged they be fired. A departmental trial date has not yet been set.
Trawick’s parents flew to New York City from Georgia because they believed a departmental trial would begin Thursday morning at NYPD headquarters, 1 Police Plaza in lower Manhattan.
Instead, they listened as Michael Martinez, Thompson’s lawyer, said more time was needed because it would be a conflict for him to continue representing both accused officers, meaning Davis has to find another lawyer.
Trawick’s parents also appeared at a protest outside Police Headquarters.
On the last day of his life, Trawick got locked out of his Morris Heights apartment while cooking and called 911, with firefighters arriving first and busting his apartment door’s lock to let him back inside.
Davis and Thompson, responding to 911 calls from neighbors describing Trawick as unhinged and banging on doors while armed with a knife and stick, showed up after firefighters left.
Video shows the officers pushing open Trawick’s door and ordering him to drop his knife.
“I have a knife because I’m cooking,” said Trawick, who was shirtless.
“We ain’t gonna tase him,” Davis said at one point to Thompson, who did just that a short time later. Trawick got back to his feet, screaming. As he moved toward the officers he was shot by Thompson moments after Davis briefly pushed the gun down.
That grief, said Trawick’s mother, Ellen Trawick, has been compounded again and again by what she says is the failure of authorities to hold the officers accountable — and to do so in a reasonable amount of time.
“We’re still being disrespected and feeling pain,” she said. “My son was in his own home and he didn’t commit a crime. He wasn’t a threat to anyone.”
The CCRB said Thompson, a seven-year veteran, wrongly used his Taser and that Davis, a 19-year veteran, should never have entered the apartment to begin with. Afterward, the CCRB said, they both failed to quickly get medical help for Trawick.
His mother noted the video shows the officers “closed the door and let him die.”
