What to Know
- One of two NYPD officers suspended for failing to take "appropriate action" at the scene of an ax murder has resigned, sources say
- Jerry Brown, 34, allegedly came to the Bushwick Houses home with an ax last month and attacked two women, killing one of them
- The other NYPD officer involved in the incident remains suspended without pay, according to police
One of the two NYPD officers suspended for allegedly failing to take "appropriate action" at the bloody scene where a young woman was hacked to death by an alleged ax-wielding murderer has resigned, law enforcement sources say.
Law enforcement sources said Thursday the male officer involved in the April incident submitted his resignation. He, along with a female officer, had been suspended without pay. The female officer remains suspended without pay.
The two allegedly didn't go up to the bloody scene in the Bushwick Houses for nearly an hour, despite being told by EMS that a bleeding woman said her friend may be dead and her 4-year-old daughter was still inside the apartment.
The 4-year-old girl ultimately wasn't hurt but was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Her mother, Angela Valle, was badly injured in the attack, allegedly at the hands of the child's father, 34-year-old Jerry Brown. Valle's friend, Savannah Rivera, was killed. Sources said she was nearly decapitated and had multiple fingers severed. The medical examiner's office released Rivera's cause of death on Friday; it was sharp force injuries to the head and neck. She was 20.
Valle had stumbled out to the street bloody after Brown allegedly stormed into her apartment. As Rivera was dying, Valle told EMS who responded that her friend needed help -- and begged them to get her baby.
Sources said EMS relayed that information to the two suspended officers. The two cops said the case fell within NYPD housing's jurisdiction; they radioed in an "assault from the past" with a possible knife, but didn't mention the child, the ax or the possibly dead woman at the scene, the sources said.
Sources told News 4 that when a police supervisor arrived, the cops didn't share the information EMS had told them, according to the sources. They didn't go upstairs to the apartment, remaining down by the entrance for nearly an hour.
Another law enforcement source tells News 4 the officers gave "partial information" to other cops who responded and left, making no attempt to do an investigation and clear the scene or notify a supervisor.
Local
The NYPD previously said in a statement, "The Brooklyn North Investigations Unit has reviewed the response and actions of two officers from the 83 precinct in this incident, and both are suspended for failure to take appropriate action."
Police recovered the ax from the building’s compactor room. It’s believed Brown may have thrown the ax down the trash chute. He was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, as well as two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Brown was sent to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. An arraignment date has yet to be set. Attorney information for him wasn't immediately available.
