It happened over 13 chaotic minutes.
From a 911 call to the gunshot that mistakenly killed a police officer at the hands of another, the events of
This story is based on dozens of interviews with witnesses and law enforcement officials, and on records of police radio calls.
Patrons inside
It is
Two blocks east on
The man, two knives strapped to his chest, taps a blade on the windshield and lets out “”a good laugh,”” remembers Kelly, who was leaving her house to visit her sister in
It is
Kelly, 71, also calls her son, who is inside their home.
“”Things were happening so fast,”” he said. “”Your head was spinning. It was surreal.””
Responding to police dispatchers, two Seventh Precinct patrol officers spot the man –
At 8:16, the officers report on their police radio that the man has entered the small, one-story house on the corner of
The two officers follow the suspect inside the house, where they are met by DiGeronimo’s mother and father, Joanne and David. The couple beg their son to leave his locked bedroom at the end of a hallway; the officers demand he come out.
Outside the home, a civilian pulls up to the curb.
Cafarella calls 911 and tells the dispatcher that he will get out of his car, get the address of the home, and report back.
Inside the house, DiGeronimo opens his bedroom door to flash an obscene hand gesture at police before slamming it shut. The officers, faced with a barricaded suspect, move the parents to another area of the house.
“”Please don’t shoot my son!”” shouts
It is 8:17 as members of the
Among the unit’s officers who head to the scene are
Inside the house, the officers call for backup.
Moments later, DiGeronimo rushes down a hallway at the officers, investigators later say, a knife held high above his head. Both open fire at close range, one officer with four shots, the other three, striking DiGeronimo in the chest. He falls in the hallway, dead.
At 8:19, a report goes out over the police radio: Shots fired; an ambulance is requested.
At 8:21, a 911 dispatcher advises officers rushing to the scene to “”slow down,”” indicating the situation at the home is under control.
DiGeronimo’s father, inside the house, can be heard by people on the street screaming hysterically. Outside, Cafarella watches as police cruisers converge at the corner. As they do,
He told the officer to arrest him if he wanted. “”My mother has just been attacked,”” Kelly said. “”I’m going to her.””
As many as a dozen
In the swirl of activity are two
Heeding an order to leave the area,
“”You have nothing to worry about,”” the officer tells him. “”The kid is dead.””
Nearby, Breitkopf, a solidly built man with a goatee, arrives and parks on
He takes an M4 assault rifle from among the gear loaded in his car. He does not retrieve his armored vest or a jacket emblazoned with a police insignia. He is wearing a badge hanging on a lanyard around his neck. Later, it will be unclear whether he had worn it over or under his clothing.
Breitkopf walks past several uniformed cops toward the house, the black weapon on a sling around one shoulder, the barrel pointed down. Collecting himself nearby is one of the cops who minutes earlier had shot DiGeronimo.
As Breitkopf crosses the lawn toward the front door, someone shouts an alert about a man with a gun. Police union leaders say it was Cafarella, the retired NYPD officer.
As Gentile’s partner grabs Breitkopf by the arm, Gentile draws his sidearm and, from a few feet away, fires a shot without a warning.
Breitkopf falls face down on the lawn, shot through the heart and lungs. The first of a series of radio calls goes out reporting that a member of the force is in immediate need of an ambulance.
It is 8:23.
Who was involved
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–MTA officer