New York City Police Officers have shot and killed yet another black man.
According to NPR, the man, identified as Saheed Vassell, was pointing an object at NYPD, and the Officers claimed that they thought the object Vassell was holding was a gun.
The object turned out to be a metal pipe with a knob on its end—which, objectively, would seem to be a curious looking gun.
Still, the NYPD is using their fortuitous belief of “Vassell brandishing a gun” to justify their shooting.
Vassell, 34, was pronounced dead at the Kings County Hospital.
Moreover, Vassell reportedly suffered from mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder.
Vassell is survived by his 15-year-old son, with his former partner, Sherlan Smith, who spoke to the Daily News:
He was a good father. He wasn’t a bad person. No matter how they want to spin it, he wasn’t a bad person. … Too many black people are dying at hands of police officers and it’s about time something be done.
Flip the pages to see pictures of the pipe that Officers “claim” they believed was a gun; a picture of Vassell during the confrontation; and a memorial dedicated to Vassell, where he was shot and killed.