An NYPD sergeant was killed Friday in a gun battle in the Bronx that left a second cop wounded and a heavily armed robbery suspect dead, sources said.
Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, 41, was struck in the head and chest about 3 p.m. near Beach Ave. in Parkchester while pursuing the gunman after a home invasion robbery, sources said.
The second officer — identified by sources as Sgt. Emmanuel Kwowas, 30 — was hit in the right leg and is expected to survive.
"The city is in mourning and the family of the NYPD is in mourning at the loss of a very good man," Mayor de Blasio said at a press conference at Jacobi Medical Center.
Cop who tried to save Randolph Holder gets 'Sergeant of the Year'[1]
"A devoted man. A man who committed his life protecting all of us."
Tuozzolo, a 19-year veteran of the department, lived with his wife and two young children in Huntington, Long Island.
"I always talk about what a great job this is, but there's nothing worse than a day like today," NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said.
The incident unfolded after the gunman broke into his estranged wife's apartment on Noble Ave. near Bronx River Ave. about 2:45 p.m., O'Neill said.
Plainclothes NYPD cop shot in head in Queens by pellet gun[2]
The woman reported to 911 dispatchers that the suspect — a career criminal from Long Island identified as Manuel Rosales, 35, — was armed.
Soon after patrol cars were dispatched to the scene, the police discovered that Rosales fled in a red Jeep Cherokee, O'Neill said.
The officers were inside a marked patrol car when they spotted the vehicle outside a storage facility on Bronx River Ave., sources said.
A wild gunfight erupted.
NYPD busts Harlem gangs tied to shootings of NYPD cop, teenager[3]
Rosales — who had 17 prior arrests and served three stints in prison — was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hours after the gun battle, his legs could be seen dangling outside the vehicle, which had crashed into the side of Tuck It Away Storage.
The officers — both based out of the 43rd precinct — were rushed to Jacobi Medical Center by fellow cops.
Tuozzolo's family was still enroute to the hospital when he expired, sources said.
Editorial: Holder a taken-for-granted hero cop slain[4]
"Everyone is distraught," a source said. "The wife is devastated. It was such a sad scene. The wife, mother and father are all huddled together crying trying to console each other."
Dozens of glum-faced officers were gathered outside the hospital Friday afternoon. Several more lined the hallways inside.
Some residents near the scene only learned about the shooting after hearing police choppers overhead.
"I heard the chopper like it was in my bedroom. That's how I knew it was close," said one resident. It's "so sad. My brother's a cop. That's really heartbreaking."
Rosales had 17 prior arrests and served three stints in prison, records show.
He was behind bars from April 2012 to June 2014 on charges of possessing stolen property.
Rosales was locked up from July 2006 and March 2010 on charges of assault and driving without a license.
His first stint in prison lasted from July 2001 to December 2002 for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Rosales has also been arrested twice this year for domestic violence in Suffolk County.
Details weren't immediately available but Rosales was due in court on Nov. 16.
Gov. Cuomo released a statement expressing condolences to the officer's family.
"Every day, the brave men and women of law enforcement selflessly serve our communities to keep the rest of us safe," he said. "Today, a sergeant in the New York City Police Department has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and another officer is undergoing treatment."
"My deepest sympathies are with the families of the officers involved in today's tragedy in the Bronx, and with Commissioner O'Neill and the NYPD as they cope with the loss of one of their own."
The American flag was lowered to half-staff outside the 43rd precinct stationhouse.
Aurora Carrion, president of the 43rd Precinct Community Council, expressed fury over the sergeant's death.
"I'm so upset about this whole thing," Carrion said. "This has to stop. This is terrible. This gun violence."
GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, at a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, referenced the shootings before the death of the officer was announced.
"Just now, just a couple of hours ago, two New York City police officers, supposed to be two great people, were shot in the Bronx," Trump said. "Badly, badly shot. We send our thoughts."
The last cop killed in the line of duty was Police Officer Randolph Holder.
Holder, 33, was shot dead on Oct. 20, 2015[5], while responding to a shooting near E. 102nd St. and 1st Ave. in East Harlem.
Career criminal Tyrone Howard was charged with murder and is awaiting trial.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
With Kerry Burke, Ross Keith, Laura Dimon[6][7][8]
References
- ^ Cop who tried to save Randolph Holder gets 'Sergeant of the Year' (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Plainclothes NYPD cop shot in head in Queens by pellet gun (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ NYPD busts Harlem gangs tied to shootings of NYPD cop, teenager (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Editorial: Holder a taken-for-granted hero cop slain (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ shot dead on Oct. 20, 2015 (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Kerry Burke (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Ross Keith (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Laura Dimon (www.n ydailynews.com)
- ^ nypd (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ police officers shot (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ gun violence (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ police shootings (www.nyda ilynews.com)
- ^ parkchester (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ new york robberies (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ new york murders (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Send a Letter to the Editor (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ facebook (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ Tweet (twitter.com)
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