On December 27, 2017, Tonie Nicole Lopez made a call to the NYPD asking for help, saying her husband was acting suspiciously and she feared for her life. A second call was made by a neighbor saying that Tonie was screaming, “He’s going to kill me!” Officers Wing Hong Lau and Wael Jaber were dispatched to conduct a welfare check on Ms. Lopez, as the home had previous domestic disputes and an active order of protection. 

Officers Wing Hong Lau and Wael Jaber were dispatched to the scene, but refused to get out of their patrol vehicle because “it was too cold.” An hour later, the NYPD received a third call from a neighbor notifying police that Tonie Lopez was unresponsive in the basement. When officers arrived on the scene, Tonie Nicole Lopez was found strangled and unresponsive, with her 1 and a half-year-old daughter crying hysterically above her mother’s body. Tonie’s husband, Barry Wells, was arrested hours later for the murder and the two responding officers, Wing Hong Lau and Wael Jaber, were suspended from duty for their alleged failure to conduct a welfare check. They were later found guilty by the department for failure to take police action and failure to properly investigate while responding to a call. Rather than immediate termination, Officers Wing Hong Lau and Wael Jaber were placed on dismissal probation, meaning they cannot have any new misconduct, but have since returned to active duty. 

We are here to get justice for Tonie and demand the termination of Officers Wing Hong Lau and Wael Jaber. Their failure to do their job, to protect and serve, has led to the murder of Tonie Nicole Lopez. Tonie called for help, trusting that the ones who are supposed to help would come to her rescue. However, that help never came, leaving her alone at the hands of her husband who eventually took her life. These officers failed to save Tonie and take police action simply because it was too cold. This is completely unacceptable and they must be held accountable! They must be terminated from their positions as their failure to do their job cost the life of a young mother, leaving her daughter behind to witness the murder. 

We ask that you please sign this petition and help us create change! Help us get justice for Tonie! She needed help, she asked for help, she waited for help. But it never came...