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Your Neighborhood — Your News®
July 31-Aug. 6, 2020
ALSO COVERING ELMHURST, JACKSON HEIGHTS, LONG ISLAND CITY, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE, REGO PARK, SUNNYSIDE
Cambria Heights teenager who was fatally shot
by police remembered with candlelight vigil
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Friends and family members in
Cambria Heights held a candlelight
vigil on Thursday, July 23, in remembrance
of 19-year-old Matthew Felix,
who was shot and killed by a Long Island
police officer in southeast Queens
in February.
The families were gathered at the
intersection of 217th Street and Linden
Boulevard to support the Felix family
as they said a prayer and released 19
balloons — one for every year Felix
was alive — while also raising awareness
of police gun violence and senseless
gun violence in communities.
It’s been five months since Matthew’s
death and his family is calling
on New York State Attorney General
Letitia James for justice and demanding
that Nassau County police officers
be held accountable.
“I want the Nassau police commissioner
to know that I’m not going to
stand for the lies and the coverups. My
brother was unarmed,” Felix’s sister
said. “The Nassau Police Department
was out of their jurisdiction; they did
not notify the NYPD that they were
here. All they’ve been doing is playing
a game of coverup.”
Felix was named an alleged carjacking
suspect while Nassau County
police officers were trying to place him
under arrest outside of his Cambria
Heights home in February, according
to reports.
After meeting a person who was
selling a Mercedes on Jericho Turnpike
in Garden City Park, Felix allegedly
put a gun to the victim’s head,
stole the vehicle, and drove it home.
Nassau’s Third Squad detectives
tracked Felix to his home, surveilled
the residence, and elite Bureau of Special
Operations officers were tasked
with taking him into custody when the
shooting occurred.
“They gave him no chance to come
out of his car — without warning, they
shot up his vehicle,” Felix’s sister said.
“He was dead on the scene, and they
left his lifeless body on the street as if
Photo by Dean Moses
it were an animal or roadkill.”
Throughout the investigation, the
Felix family said they have not received
information as to what actually
occurred on that fateful day between
Felix and the police officers.
The family is demanding information
on the names of the Nassau
County police officers and their
names, unedited footage of the shooting,
and a thorough, transparent
investigation.
“We are still fighting for justice
not only for Matthew — but for anyone
who was ever mistreated, racially
profiled or whose life ended
shortly just because of the color of
their skin. This is going to be a long
battle,” a family member said.
A mother who lost her son to gun
violence implored her neighbors to
stand up and make strides to take
back their community.
“Our pain deepens more than the
wounds that we lit. On Aug. 8, I’m
going to have to pull myself together
— because that would be my son’s
birthday — just so I can live another
moment without him,” she said. “We
can’t afford to lose another child,
husband or friend.”
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams, who announced
his proposal for curbing gun violence
in the five boroughs, said in
order to prevent such tragedies it’s
important to speak about accountability,
transparency and reframing
what is public safety.
“I see people here who have lost
their loved ones to police gun violence
and families here who have
lost their loved ones to civilian gun
violence,” Williams said. “These
communities are dealing with trauma
on every level and people have a
right to ask for better policing and
safer streets at the same time.”
Additional reporting by Dean
Moses.
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
Vol. 8 No. 31 28 total pages
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