Metro

‘Bored’ teen charged with murder after blaze kills cop

The “bored” teen punk who set a fire that killed one NYPD officer and critically injured another was indicted on a second-degree murder charge Friday – as the dead officer’s uncle broke down while visiting the surviving cop at the hospital.

A grand jury in Brooklyn Criminal Court has been hearing evidence since Officer Dennis Guerra, 39, of Far Rockaway – a married father of four – was pronounced dead from his injuries Wednesday morning at Montefiore Medical Center.

Marcell Dockery, 16, who was not in court, now faces a maximum sentence of 25 years-to-life behind bars if convicted on the murder count.

He was originally charged with first-degree assault for setting the smoky blaze last Sunday on the 13th floor of a housing project at 2007 Surf Ave. in Coney Island.

Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson vowed to bring Dockery to justice.

“The senseless act of setting that fire tragically led to the death of NYPD Officer Dennis Guerra. His partner Officer Rosa Rodriguez suffered critical injuries. Both dedicated and courageous officers did not hesitate to risk their lives to save others. We will bring the defendant to justice for these terrible and horrific crimes,” Thompson said in a statement.

PBA president Pat Lynch hailed the indictment – but said it wouldn’t bring Guerra back to his wife and kids.

”While we are pleased that the Brooklyn District Attorney has seen fit to increase the charges to felony murder, we recognize that it will not bring our fellow officer, Dennis Guerra, back to our ranks, or a husband, father and son back to his family,” Lynch said.

“At very least, it will start us on the road to achieving justice in this case,” Lynch said.

Roughly 30 of Guerra’s fellow cops were in the courtroom awaiting the charges to be upgraded, but left after the lunch break.

Guerra’s grieving family did not attend, while several of Dockery’s relatives left the courthouse without commenting.

Also Friday, Lynch accompanied Guerra’s uncle and the uncle’s daughter to Weill Cornell hospital to visit Rodriguez, where a doctor told them she was doing better.

But Guerra ‘s uncle, who was not identified, was overcome with emotion and started shouting and cursing – and lunged at a cop at one point.

“If we don’t have the right equipment, we shouldn’t have to go in there. They shouldn’t go in there. My nephew is dead,“ he cried.

Cops surrounded him as he became more emotional and a doctor summoned hospital security.

His daughter starting crying and tried to calm him down.

“Dad, shhhhh,” she said, putting her finger on her lips and then hugging him. “Dad, please, please, Dennis would not want that.”

While hugging his daughter and crying, he said, “My daughter wants to be a cop. What do I do?”

The uncle then lunged at a cop and shouted, “You bastard” and an expletive, but was restrained and then escorted into a separate room.

Guerra and Rodriguez were the first two on the scene, and were immediately overcome by dense smoke as they stepped off a 13th-floor elevator and into a hallway where the mattress had been set on fire.

Dockery – who has a prior bust for arson that is sealed – confessed to cops that he set the mattress fire because he was bored.

But his lawyer, Jesse Young, suggested the confession could have been coerced – or even fabricated by cops.

“We know that teenagers can be led to say anything. Just because someone speaks doesn’t mean it’s true doesn’t mean it’s voluntary and doesn’t mean it was their words,” Young said.