Police Officer Kevin J. Gillespie

Kevin J. Gillespie

Officer Kevin Gillespie was shot and killed by a man he had just pulled over.

Officer Gillespie and his partner had stopped a BMW which had been car-jacked earlier in the evening. As the two approached the vehicle, the men inside opened fire. One bullet struck Officer Gillespie in the shoulder, above his vest. The bullet went straight down his torso striking many organs. He died an hour later at a local hospital.

Officer Gillespie's partner thought that he had dived for cover and pursued the suspects in a running gun battle down the Grand Concourse. One suspect was shot five times, and the other was arrested at the scene. The suspect committed suicide in jail by hanging himself.

Officer Gillespie had served with the New York City Police Department for 4 years and was assigned to the Special Operations Division Street Crime Unit. He was killed a few days before his 34th birthday.