What to Know
- The NYPD has released bodycam footage showing what transpired that night the cop and the suspect were gunned down
- NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen is seen wrestling with the suspect he and his partner were chasing, and then is heard shouting "He's reaching for it!"
- Mulkeen fired his gun five times, and the other officers also opened fire, killing the suspect as well as Mulkeen
Nearly three moments after the friendly fire death of an NYPD officer, the department has released bodycam footage showing what transpired that night the cop and the suspect were gunned down.
NYPD Officer Brian Mulkeen was patrolling the streets around a city apartment complex in the Bronx around 12:30 a.m. on September 29 while part of a unit investigating potential gang activity. That’s when Mulkeen and his partner tried to apprehend a man who had fled questioning, and a struggle ensued.
After running after the suspect, the men wrestled on the ground. Mulkeen could then be heard on body camera shouting, "He's reaching for it! He's reaching for it,", according to police.
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The situation escalates from there, as the seven-year veteran of the force fires his gun five times at the man they had chased down, Antonio Williams. Mulkeen’s partner, whose bodycam footage is seen in the video, then draws his weapon as well before both Williams and Mulkeen are killed in the gunfire.
Police say a total of six plainclothes officer fired 15 shots when they responded to the call, with Mulkeen being killed as a result of friendly fire to his head and torso, the medical examiner later ruled. Police recovered a handgun from the suspect at the scene following the fatal incident, but it was loaded and never fired during the melee.
"This is a tragic case of friendly fire, but make no mistake, we lost the life of a courageous public servant solely due to a violent criminal who put the lives of the police and all the people we serve in jeopardy," O'Neill said.
Bodycam footage from other officers who were further away was also released, providing a different vantage point.
