Judge: Cop in 2012 killing ‘untruthful’

A JUDGE considering whether to uphold a $2.2 million verdict for the 2012 NYPD killing of a mentally ill Harlem man said Thursday it was reasonable to conclude the cop who opened fire “told an untruthful story.”

City attorneys are asking Manhattan Federal Court Judge Kevin Castel to toss the jury’s November 2017 verdict in favor of the family of Mohamed Bah because the officers involved feared for their lives when he was killed.

Det. Edwin Mateo testified during the trial that he shot the knifewielding Bah after twice crying out, “Shoot him, he’s stabbing me!” to fellow cops. But Mateo admitted he wasn’t actually getting stabbed.

Other officers present during the shooting also did not back up Mateo’s story that Bah, 28, was coming at him with a knife when he pulled the trigger.

“It was perfectly plausible for this jury to conclude Mateo told an untruthful story,” Castel said.

City attorney Joshua Lax argued that the law protected the officers during the chaotic moments after they breached Bah’s apartment door.