Murder Charges For Man Who Shot Police Officer In Face, Killed Ex-Coworker: PD

NORTH BAY SHORE, NY — A man who was arrested after shooting a police officer in the face and killing a former colleague has been ID'd by Suffolk County police as Nieves F. Reyes, 48, of Bay Shore, police said.

Police said Reyes has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder on a police officer and will be held overnight at the Sixth Precinct in Selden. He is slated to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Friday, police said.

On Wednesday, Reyes allegedly shot the officer at the scene of a homicide investigation on Long Island. The officer, 33, who'd been on the force for two years, escaped death by the "grace of God," officials said at a press event on Thursday.

The event was held with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina at Stony Brook University Hospital to address the shooting.

According to Catalina, on Wednesday at 4:35 p.m., Suffolk County Police received a 911 call about a man, 66, found deceased in a wooded lot at 19 New York Avenue in North Bay Shore. Homicide detectives, using video footage from a Ring camera, were able to identify Reyes as a person of interest connected to the man's death, Catalina said.

Reyes was known to the man killed; they had reportedly worked together as mechanics and had disputes in the past, Catalina said.

Detectives obtained search warrants and were setting up a perimeter at the Reyes' house when he began to fire several shots, Catalina said. "One bullet struck an officer in the face," he said. The officer lost consciousness and was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and then to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he underwent surgery to have the bullet removed, Catalina said.

A hostage negotiation team responded to the scene and a tactical drone was deployed at 5:50 p.m.; the man surrendered at 6:09 p.m. When the drone was deployed, the suspect fired seven rounds, striking officers' vehicles seven times, Catalina said.

Despite the gunfire, the officers at the scene showed "great restraint" and did not return the fire, he said. "Policing is a challenge, and we are reminded once again that an officer's life can be threatened in a second," Catalina said.

He added: "If not by the grace of God, this press conference would have been a lot different today. The officers did an amazing job; they didn't fire back and conducted a very safe operation without returning fire."

Dr. James Vosswinkel, who performed the surgery, said the officer was "very fortunate. Getting shot in the face is very lethal." The bullet, he said, was literally a half inch away from his eye; the officer suffered a fractured cheekbone, with the bullet lodged by his ear. "If that was a half an inch different, he would have been blind, or not with us right now. It goes to show you what sworn police officers do for us, how close something can come between life and death. Amazingly, he had no nerve damage and should make a full recovery."

The bullet wound was serious, not a graze, hitting the officer, who had been a combat medic in the Navy for four years, at high velocity, Vosswinkel said.

Catalina said he'd spoken to the officer, who had a "smile on his face, and is in good spirits. He's in a lot of pain, but he understands this could have been a lot worse. He's happy to be alive — and we're happy he's alive."

The victim found in the woods had wounds indicative of a homicide, Catalina said.

Romaine said he got word at 3 a.m. "It's one of those calls you don't want to get, that you dread getting, that one of your officers was injured. Our prayers are with his wife and three children. We are all behind him."

He added: "Police officers do this at the risk of their own lives. You don't know when a situation can turn violent. This was simply serving a warrant. I'm thankful that the bullet did not do devastating damage. There but for the grace of God. If he had turned his face, we might be talking about a totally different situation."

John Hnat, PBA 1st Vice President, said he believes "attacks on police officers are not down in New York," despite some who say the opposite. "Being a police officer comes with sacrifices you don't always see — and today, you see it firsthand."