NYC officer killed in ‘unprovoked attack’
NEW YORK — A two-time convict who had voiced anger at law enforcement officers in the past fatally shot a New York City officer through the window of a police vehicle early Wednesday, in what the police commissioner called an “unprovoked attack.” The gunman was killed by other officers, police said.
The wounded officer, Miosotis Familia, 48, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she was pronounced dead about three hours after the shooting.
The gunman, identified by police as Alexander Bonds, 34, was paroled in May 2013 after serving eight years behind bars for a robbery in Syracuse, some of it in one of New York state’s most notorious prisons, Attica Correctional Facility.
By midday Wednesday, a picture had emerged of Bonds as an itinerant, hardened by repeated arrests and long stints in state prison.
Familia, who was in uniform, had been sitting in a mobile command unit — a police truck that is big enough to house equipment and several officers.
Around 12:30 a.m., as Familia approached the end of her shift, Bonds walked up to the vehicle and fired one round from a .38-caliber, five-shot Ruger revolver through a passengerside window, according to Deputy Chief Jason Wilcox, the commander of detectives in the Bronx.
Familia’s partner, Vincent Maher, called for help.
Two other officers encountered the suspect, who was running about a block away. When the gunman drew a silver revolver, they opened fire, killing him.
“Based on what we know right now, this was an unprovoked attack against police officers who want to keep this great city safe,” said James O’Neill, the police commissioner.