Greek-American George Zapantis, 29, was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital after being tasered by police in New York.
Mr Zapantis, a bipolar man who also took care of his sister who had Down Syndrome, was allegedly tasered in his apartment. Witnesses say he was tasered again when taken downstairs and handcuffed.
Shakira Noble, 16, who watched on with her dad, a neighbour of Mr Zapantis told the media that there were moments when Mr Zapantis said “he couldn’t breath”. “And the officers said ‘Don’t play that card, no one’s choking you’,” Shakira said.
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A statement by the NYPD said the police visited the young man’s apartment at 150th Street, Queens, on Sunday just before 9.30pm in response to a call. They allege that Mr Zapantis “engaged” officers with a samurai sword in his hands, dressed as a gladiator wearing a helmet. He did not stop wielding the sword when police officers asked him to drop it.
Officers say they used a department-issued taser to immobilise Mr Zapantis, possibly twice, though it is unclear how many times it was used.
“I’m crying because I was not here for my son in his last moments, and he died in such a horrible way,” Athanasia Zapantis, the man’s mother, told the Daily News on Tuesday. “He was my left hand, my son. He was everything. He died for no reason.”
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The family are waiting for the results of an autopsy to come through.