NYPD Rookie Officer Involved In Fatal Shooting Of Domestic Violence Suspect Commits Suicide

Staten Island, NY – A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer who was involved in a fatal shooting of a domestic violence suspect as a rookie last year took his own life at his home in Staten Island early on Thursday morning.

Police sources told the New York Daily News that the 22-year-old officer, who was assigned to NYPD’s 60th Precinct in Coney Island, shot himself at about 1:45 a.m. on March 2 at his residence in Woodrow.

The wounded officer was found by his father, a retired NYPD sergeant, the New York Post reported.

NYPD said responding officers rushed the wounded officer to Staten Island University Hospital North for treatment.

He died from the self-inflicted gunshot wound a short time later at the hospital, the New York Daily New reported.

The fallen hero joined the NYPD in October of 2021, the New York Post reported.

Officials have not yet released the name of the fallen officer but police sources said that he was one of four officers involving in the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Jermaine Hickson in a wild gunfight in Coney Island.

That shooting occurred after NYPD was alerted to gunfire at about 10:16 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2022, by multiple 911 calls and two women who flagged down a sergeant on the street, WABC reported.

A shot spotter notification indicated gunfire in Coney Island at the same time.

Police said the incident began when Hickson threatened to shoot his girlfriend outside the outside HL Gourmet Deli Grocery at West 36th St. and Neptune Avenue, the New York Daily News reported.

Surveillance video from outside the deli showed Hickson arguing with his girlfriend in the crosswalk of West 36th Street while holding a pistol at his right side.

When officers arrived on the scene in a patrol car, the armed suspect whirled around to face them, the video showed.

And then Hickson opened fire on them, according to police officials.

“The male immediately starts shooting at the officers,” NYPD Chief of Patrol Jeffrey Maddrey told reporters. “The officers respond by immediately firing their weapons.”

Chaos ensued when the gunfire erupted.

“As soon as we heard two shots, we threw ourselves behind the deli [counter],” an employee of the deli told the New York Daily News.

The video showed Hickson began firing rounds at officers as he tried to back up and take cover behind a parked car.

Two of the officers ducked behind their patrol vehicle and then returned fire, the New York Daily News reported.

Terrified witnesses were caught on the sidewalk as the gunfight began.

Video of the shooting showed that the officers’ bullets struck the suspect but Hickson continued firing back at them even as he fell to the ground.

Police said the suspect got off several more rounds after he was shot, the New York Daily News reported.

The video showed that as he lay on the sidewalk wounded, Hickson rolled toward the police officers, racked the slide on his gun, and fired one more shot at them.

Officers were eventually able to disarm the wounded suspect and take him into custody, WABC reported.

They immediately began to render First Aid, but Hickson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police officials said two NYPD officers assigned to the 60th Precinct were extremely lucky they hadn’t been struck by a bullet during the gunfight, WABC reported.

Chief Madder said that four of the six officers who responded to the scene fired their weapons at Hickson, the New York Daily News reported.

Yesterday, #NYPD police involved shooting in Coney Island Brooklyn, NY #Friday #news pic.twitter.com/EbgSpYRIP4

— Viral News NY (@ViralNewsNYC) November 11, 2022

Police said Hickson got off five shots at the officers but none of the officers were wounded in the gun battle.

One of the officers who shot Hickson broke down in tears at the scene, witnesses told the New York Daily News at the time.

The officer’s death is the third suicide of an NYPD officer so far this year.