A former Green Bay Packers running back has helped a man accused of shooting a New York City police detective get out of jail.
Ryan Grant, who was part of the 2011 Super Bowl champion team, was among those who put up $500,000 in cash that allowed Nelson Pizarro to be released on a $5 million bond, according to the New York Post.
The Post report cited sources, it did not name, as saying Grant put up “a large portion of the money.”
In January, Pizarro, 40, was charged with shooting NYPD Detective Dominick Libretti in the leg, resulting in what officials said was a possible career-ending injury.
Pizarro had not been a target of the drug raid but is alleged to have opened fire on police. At the time of the January shooting, Pizarro had seven prior arrests.
Pizarro’s freedom angered officials.
“The fact that an individual who shot an NYPD detective is walking the streets of our city is a slap in the face to every dedicated member of law enforcement. What’s more disgraceful is that former NFL player Ryan Grant funded the bail of an attempted cop-killer, drug dealer who pushes his deadly poison in our communities,” said Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detectives Endowment Association.
“It begs the question, would Mr. Grant spring this criminal if his family member was the victim or just when it’s a hero detective protecting the public?” he said.
It was not clear if Pizarro and Grant know each other. As of Monday night, Grant had not responded to requests for comment, according to Fox News.
Should shooters be allowed to make bail?
Yes: 5% (1 Votes)
No: 95% (19 Votes)
Pizarro was initially jailed without bail. Upon an appeal from Pizarro’s lawyer, Lance Lazzaro, the Appellate Division set bail at $2.5 million cash or $5 million bond. Lazzaro said Pizarro is now on home confinement, according to the Post.
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon lambasted the court’s action, according to SILive.
“Unfortunately, the Appellate Division got this wrong and made a ruling I vigorously disagree with. Pizarro’s release is an obvious example of the absurdity of Albany’s ‘protect the rights of alleged criminals and screw the victims’ approach. It’s another slap to all of our detectives, the entire NYPD, and in particular, the brave officers this defendant nearly killed while they executed a search warrant in our ongoing fight against drug dealers on Staten Island,” he said.
Even after he was wounded, Libretti had tried to protect his fellow officers.
The New York Post offered its version of the events that led to Libretti’s wounding, citing a source it did not name.
“As they’re going up the stairs, [cops] see a guy from the back bedroom poke his head out and they’re yelling, ‘Police! Police! Police! Search warrant!’ That guy retreats back into the back bedroom, closes the door, gets the gun and opens fire. That takes about like one second,” the source said.
“When the guy opens fire, a lot of those bullets hit the shield and a couple of them went under the shield, which is the one that hit him in the [right] leg,” the source continued.
“Even with a serious leg wound, bleeding badly enough that fellow officers had to apply immediate pressure to slow the blood loss, he held a ballistic shield in front of his team to protect them from gunfire,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said after the shooting.
