Wednesday, October 21, 2015

New York Police Officer Is Said to Have Died After Being Shot in East Harlem
By ASHLEY SOUTHALL and J. DAVID GOODMAN
New York Times
OCT. 20, 2015

A police officer who was shot in the head in East Harlem on Tuesday night has died from his injuries, according to two people with direct knowledge of the investigation.

The officer was assigned to patrol public housing, the authorities said. He was shot around 8:30 p.m. near Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and 120th Street, the police said.

The officer was shot as he ran after a man who was reported to be armed with a gun, the police said.

Five blocks north at 125th Street, the police found a man who was shot in the leg. He was taken into custody as a person of interest, the police said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William J. Bratton visited the hospital late Tuesday and were expected to make a statement.

Police investigators swarmed several areas in East Harlem after the shooting. A police helicopter was scanning the East River. Officials closed part of F.D.R. Drive between 120th and 125th Streets because of the police activity.

The officer was assigned to the Police Department’s Housing Bureau and was assigned to a service area that covers three precincts spanning parts of the Upper East Side and Harlem. Patrol officers in the Housing Bureau conduct so-called vertical patrols, checking for illegal activity in the halls and stairways and on the roofs.


NYPD officer fatally shot in the head while chasing robbery suspect

By Faith Karimi and Rob Frehse, CNN
2:26 AM ET, Wed October 21, 2015

New York (CNN)A police officer died after he was shot in the head while chasing a robbery suspect in New York, authorities said.

Randolph Holder was shot Tuesday night while responding to reports of a gunman in East Harlem, Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said.

He died a few hours later -- making him the fourth officer killed in the line of duty in the city in 11 months, according to Bratton.

Partners pursued gunman

The incident started following a report of an armed robbery.

"Responding officers were told by a victim that his bike had been stolen at gunpoint," Bratton said.

Holder, 33, and his partner were in plainclothes when they saw a suspect riding a bike on a pedestrian overpass.

The pair, part of a unit that works in the city's housing developments, pursued the "suspects" and exchanged gunfire with them, authorities said.

Son, grandson of police officers

Gunfire hit Holder in the head, and he was taken to a local hospital, where he died. The native of Guyana was the son and grandson of police officers.

"Three generations of police in this family. And now the latest generation served here with us in the New York City Police Department," Bratton said.

" And tonight, he did what every other officer in the NYPD does. When the call comes, he runs toward danger. It's the last time he will respond to that call."

'Our hearts are heavy'

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who addressed the late-night news conference, said the city is in mourning.

"We are fighting to understand the loss of a man who did so much, cared so much, dedicated so much to protecting others," he said.

"An immigrant who wanted to give back to his city and his country. ... In the words of Abraham Lincoln, a man who gave the last full measure of his devotion on behalf of a city he loved."

Holder joined the department in 2010.

The suspect

The suspect was arrested four blocks away, and is in hospital with gunshot wounds to the leg.

He is expected to be released to police custody Wednesday morning, Bratton said.

Police took three other men into custody for questioning on their possible participation.

Fallen officers in NYC

Holder is one of four officers killed in New York City in the past year.

The other three include Brian Moore, who was sitting in an unmarked police car in May with his partner when they saw a man adjusting something in his waistband. When they pulled up behind him to ask, the gunman opened fire and shot Moore. His partner survived the shooting in Queens.

In December, a gunman approached officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu as they sat in their cars and fatally shot them in the head.

CNN's Rob Frehse reported from New York, and Faith Karimi reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz contributed to this report

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