9/9/2012
By Ivan Pereira
The mother of a Bronx bodega worker killed by a cop responding to a robbery collapsed in front of reporters after she met with the Bronx district attorney Sunday.
Anna Cuevas, the mother of Reynaldo Cuevas, had to be taken away in an ambulance outside Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson’s office because of blood pressure problems but was expected to be OK, her relatives said.
Joel Cuevas, Reynaldo’s other brother, said he and his kin have been dealing with a lot of stress and urged prosecutors to make sure the 20-year-old’s death was an accident.
“My little brother had no problem with anyone,” he said.
Reynaldo Cuevas was working at the family’s store around 2 a.m. Friday when three men, one of whom was armed with a revolver, came in and demanded money.
When cops arrived at the scene minutes later, Reynaldo Cuevas ran out of the bodega and collided with an officer who had his gun drawn. The weapon went off and fatally shot Cuevas, according to the NYPD.
Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the Bodega Association who was with the Cuevas during the meeting, said the family is concerned about how the gun went off and how police attended to Reynaldo while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
The NYPD said the officers treated him the best they could.
The district attorney is investigating the incident but hasn’t decided whether to convene a grand jury, according to the family.
“He made no commitments, but what he said was clearly, he feels the pain and loss the family feels,” Mateo said.
The three robbery suspects were arrested at the bodega and charged with robbery and murder.
