[Eternally Solo]

GEORGE ZAPANTIS

JUNE 21, 2020 - A group of NYPD officers tased George Zapantis seven times before he died during a confrontation in June, body camera footage released by the department on Tuesday shows.

A passerby called 911 after Zapantis, 29, who suffers from bi-polar disorder, got into an altercation with his upstairs neighbors in Whitestone.

FOOTAGE OF INCIDENT
linked due to its size - skip to 42:33 to begin at the start of the altercation

George Zapantis’ neighbors told police he went up to their 25-year-old son with a sword, but told officers they should wait until Zapantis’ mother was home before they confronted him, as he had a history of mental illness.

Police showed up anyway and found Zapantis inside the home wearing a gladiator outfit with a sword at his waist.

NYPD officials said the officers tased Zapantis and brought him to the ground because he charged at them with the sword in his hand, but the video released Tuesday shows that he wasn’t holding the sword.

At some point during the altercation, Zapantis says he cannot breathe. Later on in the video, an officer asks if Zapantis has a pulse. “I think so,” one officer says. “We don’t know if he’s responsive right now,” another officer adds.

According to the NY Attorney General, the NYPD cops involved in the stun gun death of a samurai sword-wielding Queens man didn’t commit any wrongdoing, according to a report released Friday by the state attorney general’s office.

The mother of the mentally ill Queens man who suffered a fatal heart attack after he was tased by NYPD officers, is suing the city and the cops involved.

Those named are:

• City of NY
• NY Police Dept
• NY Fire Dept
• EMS
• NYPD officers (14)

Zapantis’ mother claims in her lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court on September 15,2021, that a dozen officers used excessive force when they used the usually nonlethal tactic on her son last year.

“Why did they do the Taser? You do it maybe once. Put the hands in the handcuffs if you think he did something wrong. Why did they kill my son? They need to give me answers,” the devastated mom cried on Thursday. “I want justice for my son.”

As of the date of this post, the civil suit is still pending. Court information can be found HERE.