The man, a Haitian immigrant, was pronounced dead following the shooting, off East Furman Place, just after 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. The victim was identified as 37-year-old Herve Jules, who was known to frequent the area.
"I know he smokes, drinks," an area resident said. "And when he does, he acts stupid."
The shooting was in a parking lot of the Spring Valley transportation center.
Police say they were called to investigate a disturbance at a bar called El Buen Gusto around 3 a.m. According to police, Jules was armed with a stick and began attacking an officer, who then opened fire. But others say Jules was running away.
There is no further comment from police or the mayor, who admitted she knew the shooting victim.
"I'm very sad about the news, but I cannot elaborate too much because the matter is under investigation," Mayor Jasmin Noremi said.
A village trustee spent the morning trying to calm members of the Haitian community, many of whom have a distrust of police.
"Why, why, why this happen?" an area resident said. "Because he's not stable, he's not a stable guy. He's always on the street talking to everybody, but I've never seen him get violent."
The incident remains under investigation.
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