Two years ago, a 24-year-old student named Ryo Oyamada was fatally struck by an NYPD cruiser as he crossed the street in Queensbridge. Last night, Oyamada's family and friends once more gathered at the spot where he was killed to commemorate his life and lament the fact that the truth surrounding his death continues to be obscured.
Initially, police told the media that Officer Darren Ilardi was speeding towards a domestic violence call with his emergency lights flashing when he struck Oyamada outside a deli at 40th Avenue and 10th Street.
But witnesses told Gothamist that the car's emergency lights weren't engaged; video evidence confirmed that the lights weren't on. And according to a federal lawsuit filed by the Oyamadas, the NYPD dispersed those eyewitnesses, failed to measure the car's skid marks, and declined to check Officer Ilardi's cell phone records to determine if his phone was being used at the time of the collision.
The lawsuit, which contains court-ordered redactions, also claims that the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau engaged in a "cover-up," destroying video evidence, and allowing the department's investigators to "set about changing the testimony of the sole remaining known eyewitness to the crash other than Ilardi—Ilardi's partner, Police Officer Carman."
The NYPD's investigation into Oyamada's death found no wrongdoing. The City continues to fight the Oyamada family's lawsuit.
Tomorrow, the DMV will hold a mandatory safety hearing in Queens to examine the facts of the case and determine whether Officer Darren Ilardi should keep his driver's license. The Oyamada's lawsuit suggests that Ilardi has a poor driving record prior to the fatal crash, and the NYPD declined to retrain him.
Ryo's parents have traveled to New York from Japan to attend the hearing; at last night's memorial, his mother, Chie Oyamada, told the group that her son loved his adopted home, and that "New York warmly accepted him."
After a moment of silence, Ryo's friend Stefan Johnson sang one of Ryo's favorite songs, "Moon On The Water." "I didn't know him for very long, but we were very close," Johnson said, adding that he had seen Ryo an hour before he was killed.
The mourners held 40 candles, handmade by Ryo's loved ones who couldn't make the journey to New York.
The Oyamada's attorney, Steve Vaccaro, also spoke: "Very slowly, and gradually, we will work until the truth comes out."
With reporting from Ellen Moynihan
