NEW YORK — In the two years since her son Kawaski Trawick was shot and killed by police inside his apartment in the Bronx, Ellen Trawick says her family has been let down again and again.

"At this point, my family and I are demanding that Herbert Davis and Brendan Thompson be fired from the New York Police Department," Ellen Trawick said.

“He was a great person. He was an awesome son," Trawick said, remembering Kawaski.

What You Need To Know

  • Ellen Trawick is urging the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board to take disciplinary actions against the officers that killed her son Kawaski

  • Police opened fire after confronting Trawick, who had called 911 to report a fire after he was locked out of his apartment

  • The incident was recorded on police body cam video. The Bronx DA and NYPD commissioner declined to take action against the officers

She met with the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) to press for disciplinary action after the Bronx district attorney failed to bring criminal charges against the two officers involved. The police commissioner also determined there was no wrongdoing.

Video was rolling when the officers, Thompson and Davis, confronted Kawaski Trawick, 32, after he called 911 to report a fire after he was locked out of his apartment in supportive housing. Trawick, who suffered from mental health problems, demanded to know why the officers were opening his front door. They responded by ordering him to drop a knife he was holding, as Trawick insisted that he had the knife because he was in the process of cooking.

The video showed Trawick fell to the floor after being tased. He got back on his feet and while still holding a knife and stick, rushed toward the officers. That's when Thompson opened fire.

"We find this in communities of color: police don't feel that they have an obligation to answer any questions," said Royce Russell, an attorney representing the Trawick family.

Russell said Thompson and Davis failed to follow protocol, and said the case shows how police often opt for lethal force when it's not necessary.

"[Police] have to truly have respect and want to investigate what is going on and learn how to deescalate," Russell said.

Trawick said her son, who was an avid dancer and fitness enthusiast, deserved better.

"He was loved and he was happy," Trawick said.

NY1 reached out to the CCRB and a spokesperson said Trawick’s case remains an open investigation, but there’s no word on when board members expect to reach a decision.

His family is vowing to keep up their quest for justice.

"Why this case hasn't become worldwide, because it is an important case, because Kawaski’s life mattered,” Trawick said.

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