Officers Shoot Unarmed Peddler

An unarmed street peddler was slain by four police officers who fired 41 shots at him in the small vestibule of his Bronx apartment house. Police said the victim, Ahmed Diallo, 22, a West African immigrant who had no criminal record, was killed by a team of plainclothes officers investigating a series of rapes and robberies. The officers were placed on paid administrative leave while officials review the incident. A state legislator criticized the shooting and asked that it be investigated by the U.S. Justice Department. Police released little information and could not say whether Diallo is a suspect in any crime.