Jose Guerrero, a former NYPD sergeant and Karate Shotokan instructor who was fired in 2015 for shooting the mother of his child, is now seeking to have his job reinstated after alleged fabrication of facts in the criminal complaint against him, as reported by the Daily News.
Even though his would-be victim, Yaharya Feliz, recanted her statement in the complaint in front of a Westchester grand jury and the NYPD trial, Jose Guerrero was still dismissed from the department four years ago. The gun went off as she and Guerrero fought over the pistol.
Guerrero was terminated in 2018, two years before he could collect his pension, and now he hopes the suit will reveal the truth.
The questionable criminal complaint filed by Yonkers police was the basis for the decision made by NYPD assistant deputy David Weisel.
Guerrero's lawyer Eric Sanders alleges in the suit that "Weisel disregarded the testimony of Ms. Feliz, and he chose to credit the same 'fabricated' facts, legal arguments and documents submitted by (Yonkers police)."
The false complaint that led to his firing was produced by the police officers who investigated his case. These same officers are also being sued for their role in the false accusation.
Guerrero Uba Karate
While working on the 45th Precinct in the Bronx, Jose Guerrero spent most of his free time teaching Karate to young kids. He opened his dojo — Guerrero UBA Karate — in around 2004 in Yonkers. He garnered praise for "fighting crime" by teaching Karate to children, regardless of whether their parents could afford the tuition.
In 2014, Police Athletic League asked Guerrero to start a dojo in the Bronx, but PAL needed a budget for such a program, which didn't stop him from accepting the challenge.
Although drug dealers tried to intimidate the kids who wanted to join the program by loitering outside the building, Guerrero, with the help of a friend, secured a $6,000 donation from the Rent Stabilization Association to pay for equipment and uniforms for 50 students and move forward with the initiative.
Google reports that the dojo has been permanently closed.
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