A Bronx man who was waving around a pellet gun in the middle of a street fight was shot at least ten times by police early this morning. Police instructed Mamadou Valve to put down his weapon, and when he didn't comply, he was hit by bullets in the torso, legs, buttocks and left elbow; he is currently in critical condition at Lincoln Hospital.
Valve, 20, was hanging out at Cocoa House in the Highbridge section of the Bronx around 3 a.m. this morning when a fight broke out and spilled outside the club. "There may have been 100 that left. All of them come running across the street. One of them had a stick from a tree. It was about a yard long," one witness who was working the late shift at Cosmos laundromat across the street from the club told the News. Another reveler had a rock as a weapon, and Valve had his pellet gun.
Police in the area responded to a call for a large disorderly group, and tried to break up the fight. They ordered Valve to put his weapon down, and when he refused, they shot him 18 times, according to NBC. Only ten of the shots hit him, though. Police say that the weapon Valve had was found to be an imitation pistol.
