Credit: Jedrzej Kaminski / EyeEm
Six years after my father’s death, my family’s wrongful death civil lawsuit against the New York City Police Department is finally over. Officer Dominick Lettieri has been fired, but Officer Julio Orozco is still on the force. I thought I would feel more relief when the case was over, but, honestly, I feel like justice was only halfway served.
On January 14th, 2011, my father died at the wheel of his truck in front of my mother, thanks to these officers. As my parents were on their way to pick up my mother’s medication, Officers Orozco and Lettieri stopped my parents, alleging that my mother was riding without a seat belt; she’d only just taken it off.
My mother, 71 at the time, was rushing and forgot her wallet at home, so when she was asked for her identification she asked if she could go into the pharmacy, obtain her medication and show them her name and address listed on the pill bottle. The officers said no. They wouldn’t allow my father to drive home and get her ID, even when he asked if they could follow him to our home. They wouldn’t let him go into the pharmacy and get my mother’s medication either. So my 72-year-old father walked in 30-degree weather to our home and back. By the time he returned, the summons was already written and the police had left the scene. A family friend was passing by and saw what was happening and went and got my mother’s medication. It was shown to the cops, my mother was given the summons, and they left. My father returned and they were gone. During the drive home he had a heart attack at the wheel and died in front of my mother, three days before her birthday.
My mother said that Lettieri did most of the harassing while Orozco remained in the squad car and did not intervene once. Even though he remained tight-lipped during the “routine stop,” I still see him as equally responsible as his partner. Let’s say he did get out of the car. He could’ve spoken up once his partner told my elderly father to walk home through the sleet and snow without a coat on. He could have intervened and escorted my mother into the pharmacy to show him her name and address listed on her medication so he could’ve served her the summons. If he spoke up as a police officer should, maybe my father would still be here. But instead he remained in the car and let his partner be heartless.
Lettieri was fired before the case was over, which is a win to me. A cop that lacks compassion shouldn’t be on the force. It puts me at some ease to know that he will not be able to hurt or harass anyone else in my Queens, NY, community. I don’t know what kind of cop Orozco is. All I know is in that moment my parents needed him to stand up and do what was morally right and he didn’t. I wish he would have tried to protect my parents. His silence and passiveness put them in harm’s way.
Though this case is closed, it doesn’t relieve the pain of being fatherless. I’m still hurt and angry. My father missed all of my college graduation ceremonies, will never read my articles, and didn’t witness any of my accomplishments thus far. I can’t hear any of his compelling stories about growing up in the segregated south, get advice from him, or watch him cultivate and beautify our front and backyard like he was back home in Sumter, South Carolina. No more hugs, smiles or laughs. Daily, it’s sinking in more and more that I will never see or experience having a father again.
My parents lived in our home for more than 40 years and is now selling it because it holds too many memories. This means I will be losing the house I was born in and grew up in. Plus, my mother will be hundreds of miles away. With this settlement comes more losses and gives a different meaning to my father’s death that I didn’t expect. It’s like the grieving process has started all over again.
The best part about this chapter of my life being over is that my mother is more at peace. She still misses her partner of 57 years and that void can never be filled, but she gets to go back home to South Carolina and start her own new chapter. I get to start one too, I just have to focus on what gains I can attain from this point forward instead of the losses.
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