Residents of the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood where the shooting occurred rallied in the street as police investigated the incident MESSAGE BOARDS: Police brutality Crime and punishment

August 31, 1999
Web posted at: 10:33 a.m. EDT (1433 GMT)

In this story: 'He had a hammer, not a gun' 'They gave him several orders to drop the hammer' Police urge calm RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW YORK (CNN) -- There's new outrage over police conduct in New York after officers say they shot and killed a man -- described by his family as emotionally disturbed -- who attacked a sergeant with a hammer.

Monday night's shooting in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn -- a close-knit Orthodox Jewish neighborhood -- brought hundreds of protesters out onto the street.

Residents, who say Gideon Busch was known for his outbursts, have called police about him many times. But there was anger from some, who said officers should have used non-lethal force to subdue him.

"He wasn't well. He had a hammer, not a gun," said one woman in the crowd. "This is not right. We need justice."

Police said the officers tried to control Busch with mace when he lashed out at them.

"The subject struck Sgt. O'Brian several times on his left arm with the hammer," according to New York Police Department Assistant Chief Joe Raguso. "Four of the six officers present discharged their firearms, striking the subject."

At least twelve shots were fired, according to police. That's "way too many," said New York City Councilman Noach Dear.

The injured officer, Sgt. Terrence O'Brian, was treated for a cut on his left arm.

A neighborhood woman says "we need justice," at a rally in the street

Police said they responded after someone called 911 to report that Busch was brandishing a hammer and threatening children.

When officers arrived, they said they found the 31-year-old man in the basement of his house.

According to police, the officers went back outside and Busch followed them, still carrying the hammer.

Officer Daniel Gravitch sprayed mace on Busch but failed to subdue him, police said. In the confusion, they said, O'Brian fell to the ground and the man swung at him, striking him on the left arm.

"At that time they gave him several orders to drop the hammer," said Detective Robert Samuel, a police department spokesman. "He did not drop the hammer."

The officers fired at the man, striking him in the torso, Samuel said.

Busch was involved in another hammer attack on Sunday, when he used the tool to dent a parked car and hit a man who was in the car, police said.

The shooting victim allegedly attacked a police officer with a hammer

Busch, who was wearing a prayer shawl and leather pouches containing pieces of scripture when he was shot, was not raised in the Orthodox community but had recently moved there and was becoming more religious.

His mother, Doris Busch Boskey of Dix Hills, Long Island, told The New York Times that her son had recently joined an extremely religious group and that he had been refusing treatment for a kidney ailment and depression.

"He needed help," said Mrs. Boskey, who is married to a psychiatrist. She added: "I don't know why they couldn't have found another way. I don't know why they had to kill my son."

As police investigated the shooting, some protesters blocked traffic in Borough Park. There were no arrests during the mostly peaceful gathering that lasted well into Tuesday morning.

Police asked for calm. "What I would beg of the community," said Raguso, "is patience to let the investigation go forth."

But in recent months the NYPD has had to ask for patience more than once as the department's reputation suffers: