NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- An NYPD officer who shot a Bronx teen while kneeling on his back has reportedly been fired after allegedly lying about the incident for years.
Officer Danny Acosta was let go by the NYPD in September, according to the New York Post. It came months after the outlet obtained court docs showing he lied under oath about the shooting.
The Post unearthed the officer’s 2018 arrest and a nearly $500,000 civil assessment related to the shooting earlier this year.
Acosta reportedly claimed that Peter Colon, 17, had put a gun to his partner’s head on Oct. 4, 2009 when he fired his gun from 10 feet away in the Bronx. It came after the duo chased Colon within Claremont's Gouverneur Morris Houses.
But years later, a police lab analysis of gunfire residue from the shooting came to light, which contradicted Acosta’s story, the report said. It determined Acosta shot Colon in the lower back at close range, which is how Colon remembered the situation in his deposition.
According to the report, a lawyer representing the city in a suit filed by Colon confronted Acosta, who admitted to lying about the shooting. He reportedly thought he was protected by attorney-client privilege when he made the admission.
The Post exposé showed the Acosta remained with the NYPD earlier this year, making nearly $100,000, despite being embroiled in perjury charges.
Bronx Supreme Court Judge Ralph Fabrizio wouldn’t toss out Acosta’s confession as part of the criminal case, saying, “More than a year after [Acosta’s] deposition, he revealed to his Law Department lawyer that he was actually straddling Mr. Colon’s back when he placed the muzzle of his weapon to Mr. Colon’s back and struck him at ‘point-blank’ range.'”
Acosta angrily denied the admission to the Post, saying, “The f—ing corporation counsel lawyer f—-ed me.”
The Post said the NYPD and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office did not publicized the arrest or indictment of Acosta.
Colon was arrested, but his case fell to the wayside after a court wouldn’t give Acosta immunity for testimony.