New Yorkers yesterday got another stunning reminder of the dangers their police officers face — and of the quiet heroism they practice every day on patrol.
Nassau County Police Officer Arthur Lopez was gunned down in Queens yesterday while pursuing a suspected hit-and-run driver — and another motorist was murdered before the morning was out.
Lopez, 29, and his partner stopped a car at the entrance to the Cross Island Expressway after following it from the scene of an accident nearby in Long Island.
When Lopez approached the car shortly after 11 a.m., its driver shot and killed the officer, an eight-year Emergency Services veteran.
But the day’s tragedy was far from over. Police say the alleged shooter, Darrell Fuller, fled to another car, killing its driver before speeding off.
Local schools were placed on lockdown and cops patrolled in Queens door-to-door looking for the killer, who was found in Jamaica, reportedly with two gunshot wounds.
The perp may be behind bars already, but Nassau is absolutely reeling from its loss.
Flags were already flying at half-staff to honor Nassau Police Officer Joseph P. Olivieri, a 19-year veteran killed by a vehicle while responding to a highway accident last week. Lopez attended Olivieri’s funeral on Monday, a neighbor said.
“He was like Hercules,” said Lopez’s Babylon neighbor Mike Cullen — “but the nicest guy in the world, always with a big smile on his face ready to help.”
And he’s now the fourth Nassau cop to lay down his life on duty in just two years.
So while details of this crime are shocking, the story is becoming all too familiar.
Just as troubling, the shooter of NYPD Officer Brian Groves, who survived a July 5 attack thanks to his bulletproof vest, has still not been found.
So we hope Lopez’s killer is locked up for good in short order, and that his arrest can provide some answers for the families of the victims, safety for the city — and speedy justice for the killer.