BLOOD ON HIS BADGE
Sarge stripped of gun in shoot of romantic rival Brass probe tainted cop’s tale of fighting off mugger
An off-duty NYPD sergeant was stripped of his shield and gun after he shot a romantic rival in the jaw Thursday morning during a clash in Brooklyn, then claimed he was defending himself from a mugger, police sources said.
Police investigating the shooting had questions about the sergeant’s initial claim that the man, Thavone Santana, was trying to rob him on Livonia Ave. near New Jersey Ave. in Brownsville.
Friends of Santana claim the shooting was over a woman, and police sources say that the sergeant was dating Santana’s girlfriend, and had quarreled with him two weeks ago.
Sources identified the sergeant as Ritchard Blake, 40, an 18-year veteran who’s already on probation with the NYPD, following his arrest two years ago on allegations he attacked his girlfriend.
“This is still under investigation,” NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said at a press conference Thursday. “There’s still a lot of work to do.”
Monahan could not confirm the robbery angle.
“(The sergeant) was confronted by a male, and during this confrontation he fired two shots at him, striking him once in the face,” Monahan said. “We are conducting interviews and we are reviewing videos that are out there. The sergeant has been placed on modified duty pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Monahan said that “there may have been some sort of dispute prior” to the shooting.
The sergeant, who is assigned to the 109th Precinct in Flushing, Queens, told officers that he was on his way to work just before 5 a.m. when a mugger approached and demanded his valuables.
According to Blake’s account, the man threatened to kill him and reached for something in his pocket, so he pulled his gun and fired, hitting the would-be robber in the jaw, officials said.
No other weapons have been recovered, cops said.
A box cutter found at the scene was initially believed to belong to Santana — but it may actually be the property of the sergeant, said a police source with knowledge of the case.
Security camera footage may land Blake in hot water — and in handcuffs, sources said. Investigators are looking into whether the sergeant planted something, possibly the box cutter, on Santana after shooting him, sources said.
Video of the altercation captured a man “putting his hands up” as if he were being robbed moments before the shooting — which cops at first thought was the sergeant, the source said. Upon closer scrutiny, they realized it was the victim, the source said.
Medics rushed Santana to Brookdale University Hospital, where he’s recovering from two surgeries to his face, according to a community activist working with his family.
The cop was taken to an area hospital for ringing in his ears.
No charges were immediately filed against either man — but the sergeant was bumped to desk duty.
Blake was charged with misdemeanor assault on Oct. 29, 2016, after his girlfriend accused him of striking her in his Brooklyn home. The disposition of that case wasn’t immediately available Thursday night.
The sergeant — who was mentioned in the Daily News’ series this past March about transparency in the NYPD’s disciplinary process — also faced departmental charges.
Last September, the NYPD suspended him for 36 days, and placed on him “dismissal probation” for a year — which means the department can fire him without process, according to records obtained by The News.
A man answering Blake’s phone hung up when asked for comment Thursday. A man answering the door at his Brooklyn home told a reporter, “You have the wrong address.”
Community advocate Chris Banks sat with Santana and his family at the hospital on Thursday and called the robbery claims “spin.”
“It wasn’t a robbery at all,” Banks said. “This is a personal dispute over a female. (There was) an early dispute that took place at the apartment where the female lives. That’s where it began, and it continued on the street, where Thavone followed the officer.”
The sergeant called 911 and reported the shooting, Monahan said.
“There are certain things that we saw in this investigation that we have questions about at this point, and until we answer that we thought it was best to place him on modified duty,” Monahan said.
The shooting took place in front of the New Grace Center Christian School. Staffers escorted children and their parents through police tape to the building entrance, past a pool of blood.