by Christian Gomez
On the night of February 8, 2020, only days after a large anti-police demonstration in the New York City subway, a man went on a shooting spree against police officers in the Bronx.
Uniformed police officers Paul Stroffolino and Brian Harlon were sitting in a marked NYPD van in the Longwood neighborhood of the Bronx, when a man approached the officers, reportedly to ask for directions.
“Without provocation, the man pulls out a gun,” NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told reporters at a press conference shortly after the incident. “The operator of the van yells ‘Gun!’ and immediately attempts to put the car in drive and pull away from the scene.”
Officer Stroffolino, who was sitting behind the wheel, was shot in the neck and chin. According to Commissioner Shea, the bullets narrowly missed Stroffolino’s carotid artery. “It is a miracle we are not here under worse circumstances,” Shea said.
Nearby surveillance video showed the suspect taking a shooting positing and firing shots at the van as it sped away. The suspect continued firing before escaping on foot. Officers were unable to return fire.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose past anti-police rhetoric has drawn much scrutiny, labeled the incident an “attempt to assassinate police officers.”
“There is just too much hatred out there right now,” de Blasio added. “There is too much hatred in general, and there is too much hatred directed at our officers, and it has to end.”
Although the suspect escaped that night, police wouldn’t have to go far to catch him. Twelve hours later, at around 8:00 Sunday morning, the suspect casually strolled into the 41st Precinct, located less than half a mile from where the incident occurred. Rather than coming to turn himself in, the suspect continued his anti-police rampage. Approaching the desk area, the suspect immediately pulled out a handgun and began firing towards uniformed officers at point-blank range, shooting Lt. Jose Gautreaux in the arm.
The suspect then entered a nearby room, where he fired at additional uniformed officers and a civilian worker. “I will point out that this coward immediately laid down, but only after he ran out of bullets,” Commissioner Shea said at a press conference.
That same day, Officer Stroffolino, who was wounded the night before, was released from the hospital and greeted by a crowd of cheering officers.
The suspect was identified as 43-year old Robert Williams. Williams was released on parole in 2017 for an attempted murder conviction in 2002, in which he shot a person and carjacked a woman, crashed her vehicle, and got into a shootout with police before being arrested.
During his press conference, Shea also noted a rise in anti-police rhetoric across the city, citing a mass demonstration of anti-police activists in Grand Central Terminal a week earlier. On that occasion masked protesters shouted expletives directed at police and other Marxist chants, such as “Money for elevators not more cops” and “F*** the police, fight the power.”
“These things are not unrelated. We had people marching through the streets of New York City recently,” Shea said. “Words matter. And words affect people’s behavior.”
“This is not a crime gone bad. This is not a liquor store robbery interrupted that a tragedy erupts from. This is a premeditated assassination attempt,” Shea continued. “It is only by the grace of God and the heroic actions of those inside the building that took him into custody that we are not talking about police officers murdered inside a New York City police precinct.”
The timing of the anti-police shootings following a radical left-wing anti-police demonstration echoed reminders of a similar police ambush in 2014, in which two NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Raphael Ramos were assassinated in Brooklyn shortly after street protests.
In an attempt to restore his tarnished image towards law enforcement, Mayor de Blasio echoed Shea’s sentiments. “Anyone who spews hatred at our officers is aiding and abetting this kind of atmosphere; it is not acceptable,” de Blasio reiterated. “You could protest for whatever you believe in, but you cannot vilely attack those who are here to protect us. It creates this kind of dynamic.”
However, the mayor’s words may be too little too late, according to the head of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (NYC PBA). In a press release, PBA President Patrick Lynch bluntly stated:
It is a double miracle that we are not preparing for two funerals right now. These targeted attacks are exactly what we have warned against, again and again. The hatred and violence directed at cops continues to grow. Good luck and kind words are not enough to keep police officers or the public safe. Our elected officials need to start listening to us and working with us — not against us — to fix the deteriorating environment on our streets.
Although Lynch’s statement was directed at the mayor, he didn’t specifically call him out. However, President Trump was even less forgiving when he chimed in on the incident via Twitter. “I grew up in New York City and, over many years, got to watch how GREAT NYC’s ‘Finest’ are,” Trump tweeted. “Now, because of weak leadership at Governor & Mayor, stand away (water thrown at them) regulations, and lack of support, our wonderful NYC police are under assault. Stop this now!”
Demonstrating how badly the anti-police environment has deteriorated in New York City, hours after the attack on the 41st Precinct, the NYPD’s Chief of the Department of Corrections Hazel Jennings issued a memo urging police officers and their families not to wear any apparel adorning NYPD logos. Hazel’s memo stated, in part:
In light of recent law enforcement protests and acts of violence against law enforcement employees in the city of New York, the following is reiterated for your safety […]
If you are utilizing public transportation to traverse the city, do not wear your uniform or other items bearing the department’s name or logo.
If you are driving your personal vehicle or parking on a public street, do not place any agency identifiers such as union cards, placards, or any other items bearing association with law enforcement in view, as this may result in vandalism to your vehicle.
Advise loved ones and friends to refrain from wearing clothing items or carrying items brandishing the department name or logo, for their safety.
Although Officers Paul Stroffolino, Brian Harlon, Jose Gautreaux and those at the 41st Precinct at the time of the shooting all lived, not all law enforcement officers have been as fortunate.
As of July 7, 2020, 116 police officers have tragically been killed in the line of duty this year throughout the United States; with 27 of the 116 having been killed by gunfire. Thus far, these numbers exceed those for this time last year. By July 7, 2019, 64 police officers had been killed in the line of duty in 2019. The total number of officers killed in the line of duty in 2019 was 147 – 48 of which were killed by gunfire.
The rise in anti-police sentiments is not unique to New York City. On February 12, 2020, during a press conference, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall condemned the unprecedented increase of violence against law enforcement in Alabama. “For us, the fourth of February marked the seventh murder of a member of Alabama law enforcement in barely 13 months – a record loss of life,” Marshall said. The seven law enforcement officers fatally shot in that 13 month period include:
1. Sgt. WyTasha Lamar Carter of the Birmingham Police Department, on January 13, 2019;
2. Officer Sean Paul Tuder of the Mobile Police Department, on January 20, 2019;
3. Officer William Ray Buechner, Jr. of the Auburn Police Division, on May 19, 2019;
4. Investigator Dornell Cousette of the Tuscaloosa Police Department, on September 16, 2019;
5. Sheriff John “Big John” Williams, Sr. of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, November 23, 2019;
6. Agent Billy Fred Clardy, III of the Huntsville Police Department, on December 6, 2019; and
7. Officer Nick O’Rear of the Kimberly Police Department, on February 5, 2020.
“This is the most members of Alabama law enforcement ever murdered in a line of duty in less than a 13 month period. The wave of senseless deaths over the past year cannot be the wave of the future in this state,” Marshall said.
Marshall attributed the violence against Alabama police and sheriffs to a rise in anti-law enforcement sentiments. He pleaded for parents and teachers to raise and educate children to respect law enforcement. “To our parents, sit your children down – no matter their ages – and explain to them that the men and women in law enforcement leave their own families behind so that they can keep other families safe. They are figures of authority that should be respected,” Marshall said. “The child’s attitude toward police officers begins with you. Please set the right example with both your words and your actions.” He also encouraged teachers to “spend time during the school year to highlight the noble career of law enforcement.”
Marshall also specifically addressed the news media, which in many cases have fanned the flames of animosity against law enforcement by inaccurately reporting about police shootings, either without knowing or in some cases outright omitting key facts. “News media, think carefully before you publish stories and social media posts that paint law enforcement officers in a negative light before you know all the facts,” Marshall urged. “You’re driving a narrative that can either be helpful or hurtful to a community relationship with law enforcement. I ask that you spend time highlighting the good police work that takes place as you do criticizing those bad apples that exist in every profession.”
To those who would consider harming Alabama law enforcement, Marshall declared, “An attack on law enforcement in Alabama is an attack on all of her citizens — an attack on all Alabamans.” He added: “If you attempt to take the life of a law enforcement officer in this state, we will hold you accountable and see that you spend the rest of your life in a cinderblock prison cell.” He also threatened the death penalty for murdering an Alabama law enforcement officer. “And if you take the life of a law enforcement officer here in Alabama you will have likely forfeited your life as well. Understand that the penalty for killing a law enforcement officer in this state includes death.”
To his state’s law-enforcement officers, Marshall concluded with the following words of encouragement: “Don’t give up, don’t lose heart, keep fighting the good fight because your cause is righteous.” Marshall’s words ring true to all of the brave men and women in uniform and who carry the badge all across the country, from coast to coast, in both metropolitan police departments to the small rural county sheriff’s departments. All civilians, parents, teachers, and members of the press have a responsibility to those who risk their lives each day and night to serve and protect their communities.
The John Birch Society has carried out a nationwide “Support Your Local Police — and Keep Them Independent” campaign since the early 1960s. The purpose of the campaign is to educate the public about the importance of local police departments and sheriffs’ offices and the need for communities to both support them and keep them independent from potential federal overreach, such as calls from some to nationalize our police forces as in other countries. Part of America’s greatness lies in you, the men and women serving in our local community’s law enforcement agencies. As we see an increase in anti-law enforcement activity and violence, remember that millions of Americans — along with groups such as the aforementioned SYLP project — stand with you and thank you.