NPR

NYC Police Fatally Shoot Black Man, Mistake Pipe For Gun

Police said they received calls about a man pointing a gun at people on the street in Brooklyn. The man was reportedly well-known in the area as "mentally ill but generally harmless."
A makeshift memorial for Saheed Vassell, 34, stands Thursday in the lobby of the apartment building that neighbors identified as his father's residence.

Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET

Police officers in New York City fatally shot a black man who was pointing what appeared to be a gun at them on Wednesday, police said.

The object turned out to be a metal pipe with a knob on the end. The man reportedly had bipolar disorder.

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