"We lost a hero." New York Police Department cop, Brian Mulkeen, was shot with his own weapon in the Bronx during an attempted arrest
Update: On Monday afternoon, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill confirmed that Officer Brian Mulkeen died as a result of friendly fire during Sunday's shoot out in the Bronx.
Officer Mulkeen was reportedly shot twice by fellow officers as he wrestled suspect Antonio Williams to the ground outside of Edenwald Houses in the Bronx.
O'Neill said: “It was a violent struggle. And from start to finish, from first round to last round, was 10 seconds. Just think about that. Think about how quick that is."
“This is a tragic case of friendly fire," O'Neill added, "But make no mistake, we lost the life of a courageous public servant solely due to a violent criminal who put the lives of the police and all the people we serve in jeopardy."
.@NYPDONeill and Chief Kevin Maloney of the Force Investigation Division provide an update regarding Sunday morning’s police involved shooting that resulted in the tragic death of Police Officer Brian Mulkeen. pic.twitter.com/ixyPxpybc5
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 30, 2019
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Irish American New York Police Officer Brian Mulkeen (33) was shot with his own service weapon on Sunday by a known felon. The NYPD cop was attempting to arrest Antonio Lavance Williams (27) before a struggle ensued which led to him being shot three times.
“He’s reaching for it! He’s reaching for it!” Mulkeen could be heard shouting in police body-camera video, officials told the NY Times.
Mulkeen and two fellow officers were on patrol in the Bronx's Edenwald Houses amid violent infighting between two factions of the Bloods when they spotted Williams. The convicted felon had an open warrant on a drug possession, out of Hudson, when he was spotted.
Williams, who had a .32-caliber revolver in his hand, took off running. Mulkeen tackled and disarmed Williams who in turn struggled with the officer for possession of his service Glock. The struggle ended in both men being fatally wounded, according to the NY Post. Williams was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officer Mulkeen was bundled into a police car by fellow officers and taken to the hospital where he later passed away.
Chief Terence Monahan told a press conference “It does not appear that the perpetrator’s gun was the one that fired.
"We lost a hero"
Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “By every measure, we lost a hero."
Officer Mulkeen joined the police force in January 2013, after leaving his career in finance. Following a patrol stint in the 48th Precinct, he was assigned to a borough anti-crime unit responsible for catching criminals in the act.
Mulkeen lived in Yorktown Heights with his girlfriend, who is also a police officer in the Bronx.
Chief Monahan said “Brian was a great cop dedicated to keeping this city safe.
“In fact, just last night he arrested a man in possession of a gun in the very same precinct.”
This was his last of 260 arrests, Mulkeen made over six years. More than 50% of these were felony charges. During his career, he earned five medals for excellence, the NYPD report.
Mulkeen's death is the latest in a long string of tragedies that have plagued the NYPD. He is the second police officer to be killed in the line of duty this year. This February, Detective Brian Simonsen was shot and killed by friendly fire in Queens. Also January nine police officers have died by suicide.
The shooter
A convicted felon and reputed gangbanger, Williams, had at least three prior arrests across New York state. He was on probation for a 2018 drug arrest.
Williams was first arrested in 2011 on a burglary rap in Rockland County’s Haverstraw. He was convicted and sentenced to up to 42 months behind bars.
He was paroled in 2015 and was arrested again in 2018 on a drug charge in upstate New York, Endicott. He was on probation until 2022
Just last month he was caught on a harassment case, in Binghamton, for which he had a court date later this week.
Here's a CBS news report on the shooting:
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