Detective William T. Gunn

William T. Gunn

Detective William Gunn succumbed to a gunshot wound received in 1989 when he was shot in the head by a suspect.

Detective Gunn and three other officers were investigating two murders and went to the home of a man wanted for questioning in those murders. When the officers arrived, the suspect exited and opened fire, wounding one of the officers. Detective Gunn ran to assist the fallen officer and was shot in the head by the suspect. He remained in a coma from the time of the shooting until his death.

The suspect escaped by hiding in a nearby apartment after killing the 67-year-old female occupant. Later that week, the suspect was shot and wounded by an off-duty New York City Police Officer as he tried to rob a store. The suspect again escaped but shot and killed himself later that night as police closed in on him.

Detective Gunn had served with the New York City Police Department for 10 years. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Detective Gunn was assigned to the 67th Precinct Detective Squad and was posthumously promoted to the rank of Detective. After his death, a portion of Snyder Avenue between Nostrand Avenue and Rogers Avenue was renamed Detective William T. Gunn Avenue.