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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 1 OcTOber 2019

For the 2nd time this year, NYPD gunfire kills 1 of its own

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Investigators had previ-
NEW YORK (AP) — For the ously suggested that Wil-
second time this year, a liams had wrested the offi-
New York City police officer cer's gun away as the pair
has been killed by friendly struggled. But police said
fire. Monday that Mulkeen re-
Officer Brian Mulkeen was tained control of his gun
fatally struck by two police and fired five shots after
bullets while struggling with Williams reached toward
an armed man after chas- his waistband, said Deputy
ing and shooting at him Chief Kevin Maloney of the
Sunday in the Bronx, Police NYPD's Force Investigation
commissioner James O'Neill Division.
said. Other officers fired a total
"This is an absolute trag- of 10 shots.
edy," O'Neill said Monday, A loaded .32-caliber re-
quickly turning the blame volver belonging to Wil-
on the man Mulkeen was liams was recovered at
grappling with, who was the scene, police said. It
also killed in the burst of had not been fired. Police
gunfire. officials said they were still
"Make no mistake, we lost investigating whose shots
the life of a courageous killed Williams.
public servant solely due to "Anybody who wants to Emergency personnel stand near the scene of a fatal shooting of a police officer in the Bronx bor-
a violent criminal who put play the 'blame the cops' ough of New York, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019.
the lives of the police and game with this tragedy Associated Press
all the people we serve in needs to swallow their rhet-
jeopardy," O'Neill said. oric and look at the facts," Court records don't list a session of illegal guns. day as a caravan of police
Investigators are still piec- said Patrick Lynch, presi- lawyer representing him in He left a high-paying fi- vehicles transported Mul-
ing together exactly what dent of Mulkeen's union, that matter. nance job to become a keen's body to a funeral
happened, but police of- the Police Benevolent As- All of the officers except police officer because, as home in his hometown of
ficials described a chaotic sociation. Mulkeen activated their friend Daniel Tucker wrote Monroe, a suburb north-
confrontation in which six "That perp is the one who body cameras. He was un- on Facebook, he "felt like west of the city. His funeral
officers fired 15 shots in carried an illegal gun onto able to amid the struggle he wasn't doing enough is scheduled for Friday.
about 10 seconds. our streets. He is the one with Williams, O'Neill said. with his life." Mulkeen, who lived in Yor-
Mulkeen, 33, was on patrol who chose to fight with the "He displayed incredible, Mulkeen graduated from ktown Heights with his girl-
with a plainclothes anti- cops. He is solely respon- incredible courage," O'Neill Fordham University's busi- friend, an officer in a differ-
crime unit when he and his sible for our hero brother's said. ness school and worked as ent Bronx precinct, started
partners encountered An- death." Mulkeen's death echoed a financial adviser at Mer- his law enforcement career
tonio Williams, 27, around Williams previously served that of Detective Brian Si- rill Lynch in New York from as a dispatcher for the po-
12:30 a.m. Sunday near a 3½ years behind bars for monsen, who was killed by 2007 to 2009, the company lice department in Tuxedo,
public housing complex, burglary, according to friendly fire in February. said. a town near Monroe. He
police said. state prison records. Simonsen was hit once in In his Facebook post, Tuck- joined the NYPD in January
Williams, who was on pro- He was due in court in the chest by crossfire as he er recounted Mulkeen's de- 2013.
bation following a drug ar- Binghamton on Friday fol- and six other officers fired parture from the company. "He brought joy, and caring
rest last year, ran away and lowing an arrest in August 42 shots at a robbery sus- He remembered his friend with him when he came,"
officers chased after him. that stemmed from an al- pect who charged toward calling him and saying: the Tuxedo Police Depart-
Mulkeen grabbed him and leged physical dispute with them and mimicked pulling "Tuck! I couldn't wait to tell ment posted on Facebook.
the two began wrestling. a woman. Binghamton the trigger of a fake hand- you, I quit my job at Merrill "He followed his dream. He
O'Neill said Mulkeen could Police Department spokes- gun. Lynch and I'm gonna be a will always be one of us, re-
be heard on body-worn man John Ryan said detec- In more than 6½ years with cop!" membered for his courage,
camera footage saying, tives have provided infor- the NYPD, Mulkeen made Police officers and firefight- his love and his drive. We
"He's reaching for it! He's mation about the case to 270 arrests — many of them ers lined up along the New will never forget, we will al-
reaching for it!" the NYPD. for felonies, including pos- York State Thruway on Mon- ways be with you."q