3 yrs after innocent man shot by NYPD, 20yo Reynaldo Cuevas’s family marches on Bronx

20-year-old Reynaldo Cuevas was shot three years ago by an NYPD officer while trying to escape a robbery in his store in the Bronx. His family and friends took to the streets in his honor, demanding the justice they say they’ve been denied.

The young man appears to have been killed accidentally on September 7, 2012, by a police officer who mistook him for one of the robbers.

Cuevas and his uncle had been held hostage in their store by three armed robbers. A 911 call had been made by a passerby, and the young man used a chance to escape when the three gunmen moved to the back of the store.

READ MORE: Police Officer shoots and kills man trying to escape armed robbery

The uniformed officer was standing outside, responding to the 911 call. With his gun drawn he instantly shot 20-year old Cuevas after the panicked young man bumped into him as he dashed out – causing both him and the officer to fall onto the sidewalk.

A surveillance video showed a pool of blood forming as the victim fell to the ground, while the officer continued to point his gun at the lifeless Cuevas. The NYPD said that the episode “transpired in a matter of seconds… and the collision between Mr. Cuevas [and the officer] in split seconds.”

Witnesses say none of the cops identified themselves or asked Cuevas to halt. They remember passersby yelling “Stop – he works here!” and frantically pleading as the young man fell to the ground.

The family says it is still seeking justice. “It gives you goose bumps, because you’re standing where he got killed,” Reynaldo’s sister Nicole told CBS2, as she and other held a vigil outside the Bronx bodega.

Earlier in the day, Ceuvas’s family and friends marched in the Bronx, with cop cars trailing the demonstration. People held banners with the young man’s photograph, as well as the photos of other men shot by the NYPD. They walked peacefully, chanting “They killed him, we all know!”

“The robbers didn’t pull the trigger on my brother, it was a police officer who did,” Nicole said.

People in the procession, which reportedly numbered several dozens, said more should have been done to prosecute the guilty party. Meanwhile, officer Bangali, who fired the fatal shot, has been cleared of any wrongdoing. He no longer works at the 42nd precinct.

“It gets me angry that no justice has been served and it’s three years now,” Nicole said.

The family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. But only the case against the three criminals is moving forward. The family lawsuit continues to be on hold.

“Today is Labor Day and unfortunately somebody who was working hard and trying to better himself and his family is dead at the hands of a New York City police officer,” family attorney Robinson Iglesias said.