Everyone knows police work is dangerous. But with all the political shouting, we sometimes forget how risky it is to strap on a vest, a badge and a gun and ride into the unknown of the night—until a cop dies in the line of duty.
Officer Brian Mulkeen, 33, of the New York City Police Department was shot and killed early Sunday morning while wrestling in the courtyard of a Bronx housing project with a suspected gang member. Mulkeen, who was assigned to a plainclothes unit, had six years on the job. By all accounts he was great at it.
Cops from the 47th Precinct Anticrime Unit regularly patrol the gang-infested Edenwald Houses. But when they stopped Antonio Lavance Williams, 27, for questioning, things went suddenly wrong.
Williams—who was carrying a .32-caliber revolver and had two prior convictions, for burglary and a drug charge—took off running. Officer Mulkeen, a former college track star, gave chase. He caught Williams and tackled him to the ground. As they struggled, Williams went for Mulkeen’s gun. “He’s reaching for it!” Mulkeen shouted into the night.
More from the Wall Street Journal here.