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New York police officer dead, second officer wounded in Bronx shooting

BRONX, N.Y.  — A New York City police sergeant was killed and another officer was wounded Friday afternoon in a shootout with a Bronx home invasion suspec...
paul-tuozzolo

BRONX, N.Y.  — A New York City police sergeant was killed and another officer was wounded Friday afternoon in a shootout with a Bronx home invasion suspect, Police Commissioner James O’Neill said.

Pix11 reports that Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, 41, a 19-year veteran of the force, and father of two, died after he was shot in the head at point blank range as he approached the suspect, officials say.

Another sergeant, Emmanuel Kwo, a 9-year veteran of the force, was shot multiple times in the legs. He was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center where he is listed in critical condition.

Officers responded to a 911 call of a home invasion in progress around 2:45 p.m. on the fifth floor of 1460 Beach Ave., in the Parkchester section of the Bronx.

Pix 11 said officials confirmed the caller said her estranged husband, later identified as 35-year-old Manuel Rosales, had forced his way into the apartment with a gun, officials confirmed.

As officers approached the residence they learned the suspect had fled in a red Jeep.

Officers located the vehicle about a mile from the apartment. The driver emerged with a .45-caliber pistol and started shooting, O’Neill said.

Police returned fire, killing the suspect.

Officials did not comment on why Rosales was there and what occurred inside before he left.

O’Neill said Rosales was a resident of Suffolk County and had 17 previous arrests, though he didn’t specify what charges were involved.

Tuozzolo was married with two young children and he was “a man who committed his life to protecting all of us,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

New York police officer dead, second officer wounded in Bronx shooting

“The city is in mourning and the family of the NYPD is in mourning, particularly the men and women of the four-three precinct,” de Blasio went on to say.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement:

Every day, the brave men and women of law enforcement selflessly serve our communities to keep the rest of us safe. Today, a sergeant in the New York City Police Department has made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and another officer is undergoing treatment.

My deepest sympathies are with the families of the officers involved in today’s tragedy in the Bronx, and with Commissioner O’Neill and the NYPD as they cope with the loss of one of their own.

Prior to this incident, at least 52 law enforcement officers had been fatally shot in the line of duty in the United States and Puerto Rico in 2016, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

That’s the highest one-year total since 2011, when 73 officers were shot dead, the fund say

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