Ex-NYPD cop who lied about circumstances of shooting teen suspect avoids prison: DA

A former NYPD officer convicted of lying about how he shot a teen suspect in a Bronx hallway more than a decade ago defended pulling the trigger as he evaded prison time Monday.Danny Acosta received only probation and was fined $2,500 by Judge Seth Steed over the objections of Bronx prosecutors who sought at least two years after he was found guilty of perjury in connection with the 2009 shooting.The ex-cop, 46, pleaded for mercy in front of Judge Seth Steed even as he defiantly claimed he had no choice but to pump a bullet into then-17-year-old Peter Colon during the heart-pounding encounter.“In my heart, I feel like I did the right thing,” Acosta said in court.“Not only did I save my partner’s life, but also my life.”“No one knows what it’s like.

I think about this every day since the first day this happened,” he added.Acosta told a Bronx grand jury in 2009 that he shot Colon from a distance to save his partner’s life, but it came out years later during civil litigation that he really fired into the young man’s back at close range, District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement.Colon said during the trial earlier this year that the officer had his knee on his back when he shot him.He said he was still suffering from the shooting when delivering a victim impact statement from Washington County jail Monday.“The tragic event that happened has left me with surgery and therapy and I am still dealing with pain in my lower back,” he said. “I want to thank my family, my son, and my friends and I appreciate everyone’s support as well.

I pray that Mr.Acosta becomes a better person from this experience.

I wish him nothing but the best.I can finally receive closure.”Colon, who clinched a $500,000 settlement due to the shooting, was initially hit with assault and weapons charges, but the case fell apart when Acosta refused to testify in front of a second grand jury.It was not immediately clear why he was in jail in the Hudson Valley.The ...