Man Shot by Cop in 1969 Dies of Gun Wound 46 Years Later

 

A man who was shot by a Brooklyn cop in 1969 died from his wound earlier this year, The Post has learned.

Ralph Martinez was 16 when he was shot by Officer Thomas Lawlor during a traffic stop in Greenpoint on June 16, 1969. Martinez died Aug. 15 at age 63. The city medical examiner ruled that his death stemmed from complications from the spinal-cord injury he suffered at the time. The wound had left him wheelchair-bound.

Two cops tried to pull Martinez over while he was driving a 1968 Chevy at Kingsland and Meeker avenues, law-enforcement sources said.

It’s unclear why the officers wanted to make the stop, but Martinez tried to hit them with his car, the sources said. He then got out of the vehicle and charged at the officers with a chrome “door handle,” prompting Lawlor to open fire, the sources said.

“Perp had lunged at NYPD officer with an object in which officer did fire a shot at the perp. [The] Perp sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” says an internal report obtained by The Post.

Martinez was charged with resisting arrest and attempted assault. Lawlor was not charged. He could not be reached for comment.