NYC PrimaryCheck Out CBS2's Voter Guide For What To Know Before You Go; Polls Open Until 9 p.m.
CBSN New YorkWatch Now
Mohamed Bah's Family Seeking Changes To NYPD Policy
Filed Under:Alex Silverman, Emotionally Disturbed, Hawa Bah, Mohamed Bah, Morningside Heights, NYPD, Police-Involved Shooting, Randolph McLaughlin
Hawa Bah, with her attorney Randolph McLaughlin speaks at a press conference announcing a lawsuit against New York City for the deadly police shooting of her son, Sept. 23, 2013. (credit: Alex Silverman/WCBS 880)Hawa Bah, with her attorney Randolph McLaughlin speaks at a press conference announcing a lawsuit against New York City for the deadly police shooting of her son, Sept. 23, 2013. (credit: Alex Silverman/WCBS 880)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – The family of an emotionally disturbed immigrant killed by police has sued New York City, seeking changes to how police handle such encounters.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Manhattan federal court. It seeks unspecified damages for the September 2012 killing of a 28-year-old Guinean immigrant shot in his Morningside Heights home.

READ MORE: NYC Primary Day: Polls Open For Voters To Choose Next Mayor

Family members say Mohamed Bah never should have died. The lawsuit said Bah’s mother dialed 911 on the day of her son’s death, hoping to summon an ambulance because she thought he was depressed. The lawsuit said officers arrived instead and Bah asked them to leave.

“I called 911 because I was thinking about medical help,” Hawa Bah told reporters including WCBS 880’s Alex Silverman. “I didn’t call police because he didn’t do nothing wrong.”

Bah’s mother also said officers denied her request to speak with her son in the hopes of calming him down.

Police say Bah lunged at the officers with a 13-inch knife and he was shot after a stun gun and rubber bullet failed to stop him.

“Broke the door down, tasered, bean bagged and killed him,” the family’s lawyer Randolph McLaughlin said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

The family wants the federal courts to force a policy change on the NYPD for the way it deals with disturbed people.

READ MORE: Primary Election Day Guide For Voters In New York

“It’s called a crisis intervention model: mental health professionals train the police and accompany them on these calls,” said McLaughlin.

The family lawyer added a grand jury will consider criminal charges against the officers involved in the fatal incident next month.

The NYPD has not made the names of the officers public.

The city law office did not immediately comment.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

[display-posts category=”news” posts_per_page=”4″]

MORE NEWS: After More Than A Year, The Show Must Go On: More Broadway Shows Announce Plans To Resume Performances

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)