Relatives mourn man killed by cop's bullet in the BX

Relatives gathered at a makeshift memorial Sunday where a police officer fatally shot a man at Westchester and Hewitt avenues. Authorities said Officer Raphael Lora was off duty when he witnessed 41-year-old

News 12 Staff

May 20, 2007, 7:06 PM

Updated 6,417 days ago

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Relatives gathered at a makeshift memorial Sunday where a police officer fatally shot a man at Westchester and Hewitt avenues.
Authorities said Officer Raphael Lora was off duty when he witnessed 41-year-old Fermin Arzu hit a parked car with his minivan and drive off Friday night. Arzu disobeyed Lora's orders to stop, according to police. Authorities said the officer discharged his weapon five times, hitting the victim once.
A spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office said the bullet entered the victim's back then pierced his heart, left lung and aorta. Arzu still managed to drive a block before his minivan sideswiped another vehicle and caught fire. The minivan bumped onto a sidewalk and came to rest against the wall of a church.
"I'm just doing my job," Lora told the Daily News Sunday. Lora, 37, is currently on administrative desk duty pending the outcome of an investigation.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said a member of his National Action Network staff has met with the Arzu family.
Mourners said they are in shock over Arzu's death. The victim, who was from Honduras, lived with his girlfriend and teenage son in the Bronx.
AP wire reports contributed to this report.
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