The devastated family of a man who toppled to his death after being shot with a Taser said they were upset yesterday to learn that the cop who gave the order had committed suicide – on the day of the victim’s funeral.
“I feel bad for his family. It’s horrible,” said Iman Morales’ brother, Jesse Hernandez. “They are going through the same thing we are. I would like to send them my condolences.”
His brother Danny was not nearly as forgiving.
“The cop was a coward. Now, he’s going to make his family suffer like our family is suffering now,” he said.
Lt. Michael Pigott was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just hours before Morales’ family gathered at Our Lady of Pompei Church in Greenwich Village.
“This wasn’t the kind of justice we were seeking,” said Morales’ aunt, Ann DeJesus Negron. “We never wanted this to happen to Iman. We never wanted this to happen to the officer. It’s like a double loss.”
Jesse Hernandez said they picked a Village church because Iman, 35, loved the neighborhood.
As Morales’ father, brothers and uncles carried his blue casket inside draped with a white cloth emblazoned with a cross, his weeping mother, Olga Negron, followed carrying a large wooden cross. She then collapsed in tears atop the casket after it was placed near the altar.
“My mother is devastated,” Jesse said.
He said he hoped his brother’s tragic death might have some positive effect in the long run.
“One of the things my brother always said was that he wanted to change the world. Hopefully this will change something. Hopefully no one will ever have to go through this again,” he said.