Former police officer sentenced for lying under oath about 2009 police-involved shooting
Danny Acosta, 46, will serve five years' probation and pay a $2,500 fine for attempting to cover up the fact that he shot Peter Colon in the back at point-blank range. Colon was 17 years old at the time.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark says a former NYPD officer was sentenced for lying under oath about details surrounding a 2009 police-involved shooting.
Danny Acosta, 46, will serve five years' probation and pay a $2,500 fine for attempting to cover up the fact that he shot Peter Colon in the back at point-blank range. Colon was 17 years old at the time.
"This defendant told a Bronx grand jury in 2009 that he shot the teen from a distance away in defense of his partner, but later during civil litigation, a laboratory report unequivocally concluded that the bullet that was fired into Peter Colon's back was discharged at point-blank range," said Clark.
The DA's office says it asked for Acosta to be sentenced to multiple years behind bars.
Acosta and his partner, Laura Barbato, responded to a Bronx building on Oct. 4, where they encountered Colon armed in a stairwell.
According to court documents, Acosta told investigators that Colon had a gun to Barbato's head at the time of the shooting and later testified that he was "a couple steps down" from the 17-year-old. Acosta claimed that he, his partner and the teen were all standing at the time.
A lab report by the New York City Police Department's Trace Analysis Unit challenged Acosta's version of events. The report concluded that Colon was shot in the back at a very close range.
Colon testified that he was face down on the ground when Acosta put his knee on his back, pressed the gun against him and fired.
A jury found Acosta guilty of perjury, tampering with public records and official misconduct on April 24, over ten years after the shooting.
"It took 16 years but finally truth and justice won out," said Clark.
