#2881: 2 Beers, Talk & Then He Was Dead (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:nozier@tradewind.net

2 Beers, Talk & Then  He Was Dead 
By JOHN MARZULLI, HELEN PETERSONand PATRICE O'SHAUGHNESSY
Daily News Staff Writers

Patrick Dorismond stepped out of an Eighth Ave. bar after two after-work
beers and stood talking with a friend in an area where cops had arrested
eight people for selling drugs. When a zealous undercover cop seeking
one more collar approached him, Dorismond became incensed. A struggle
ensued.Detective Anthony Vasquez, who has seen many buy-and-busts though
he has been a cop for less than five years, responded to the undercover
officer in distress.It's a cautious street dance that narcotics cops do
every day without incident. But this one ended in the tragic death of an
unarmed man.The shooting has raised several troubling, but now familiar,
issues. A dead man's family wants to know why an innocent man was      
killed by police, a grand jury reviews another police shooting to see
whether criminal charges are merited and civil rights leaders renew
their attack on police tactics they say are too aggressive.Vasquez has
not given his account of the shooting; he was placed on desk duty
pending the outcome of the Manhattan  grand jury's findings.The
encounter on a midtown corner early Thursday brought together Vasquez, a
cop with a record of pulling his gun off-duty, and Dorismond, a man
known as friendly and helpful but sometimes given to a quick temper.   
Dorismond, 26, of Brooklyn, a guard for two years with the  34th St.
Partnership, had gone to Wakamba Cocktail Lounge on Eighth Ave. at 37th
St. with four colleagues. A bartender at the dimly lit bar, where you
have to get buzzed in, said Dorismond sat at one of the rear tables. She
served him two Coronas. She said he left the bar with one other man and
that she saw Dorismond talking on a cell phone.He then got into a
scuffle with an undercover cop who pressed him on where he could buy
drugs. The undercover and his two backups — including Vasquez — were
working with  other officers in Operation Condor, an arrest-oriented   
narcotics sweep. Vasquez, who lives in Shirley, L.I., and is the
divorced father of a 5-year-old boy, has made a lot of drug busts in the
 Manhattan North Precinct. He made detective after just two years on the
job. But his police career, which began in 1995, is marked by trouble
with his weapon.On Feb. 22, 1997, he was arrested on disorderly conduct
 charges at the Lion's Den, a bar in State College, Pa., where Penn
State University is located, for allegedly drawing his service gun to
break up a brawl in which he and a friend were beaten up.A bouncer at
the Pennsylvania bar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Vasquez
started the fight by pushing a man from behind."In my opinion, he
started the whole thing. Then [three men] started beating [Vasquez]
really bad, punching him and  kneeing him in the face," the bouncer
said. "He kept yelling, 'I'm a cop!' He finally got away and pulled out
his sidearm and waved it in the air." Vasquez fought the charge and was
found not guilty. The Police Department issued him a command discipline
for not reporting the arrest immediately. He was not cited for        
carrying his gun out of state because it is legal in Pennsylvania      
for law enforcement officers to carry their guns there.In 1996, Vasquez
wounded his next-door neighbor's Rottweiler, Max, after the dog dug its
way under a chain-link  fence into the cop's yard.The dog's owner, who
did not want his name used, said the   shooting was unjustified.      
"[Max] wasn't attacking anybody ... [Vasquez] even admitted that the
dogs weren't attacking them. He told the cops he was afraid. He never
came over and never spoke to us. All he said at the time was, 'I shot
your dog,' and that's it."Dorismond, who lived in East Flatbush,
Brooklyn, and had two daughters, was arrested twice as an adult. On Aug.
9,1993, he allegedly punched a friend in the nose. According to law
enforcement sources, he had given the friend $15 to buy pot, but when
the friend returned with only $5 worth, he became enraged. Dorismond
pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. The second arrest occurred Jan.
11, 1996, after a traffic dispute. Dorismond and two other men jumped
out of their  cars and began arguing. Dorismond allegedly threatened the
men with a gun and said, "Don't sign your death warrant," a law
enforcement source said. No gun was found, but Dorismond was charged
with menacing, harassment and weapon possession. He pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct.