The scene on the Grand Central Parkway where cop killer Darrell Fuller dragged 52-year-old Raymond Facey from his car and shot him in the head while horrifed motorists looked on. Forum Newsgroup photo by Robert Stridiron.
A massive manhunt for the parolee who murdered a Nassau County Cop and an innocent motorist Tuesday morning ended when police nabbed the suspect after he shot himself several hours following the incident.
Darrell Fuller, 33, shot and killed Emergency Services Officer Arthur Lopez, 29, near a Mobil station on Jamaica Avenue and 241st Street in Bellerose Terrace at 11 a.m., authorities said.
Lopez, an eight year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, and his partner, Clarence Hudson, followed Fuller to the station after they witnessed him flee the scene of an accident on Northern Boulevard in Great Neck, police said.
Police folowed a trail of blood and clothing left behind by the fleeing suspect. Forum Newsgroup photo by Robert Stridiron.
They pulled over the suspect, and Lopez exchanged a few words with him, authorities said. Fuller then shot the highly decorated officer in the chest and fled in a silver Honda.
As he made his getaway, Hudson tried to resuscitate his partner. Lopez was then rushed to North Shore-LIJ Hospital in New Hyde Park, where he was pronounced dead.
“[Lopez’s] murderer should hear the screams of his mother and understand what he did today,” Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said during a press conference.
After fleeing the scene, Fuller drove onto the Cross Island Parkway, abandoning the Honda, which had flat tires. He then stole the car of a motorist who had pulled over, dragging Raymond Facey from his Toyota Camry and shooting him in the head.
Fuller eventually ditched that car at 114th Road and 223rd Street in Queens Village, police said.
Darrell Fuller
Police scoured neighborhoods throughout Queens, locking down schools and roaming the streets of Middle Village with Bassett Hounds and assault rifles. Low flying search helicopters sent garbage pails flying into the streets, as detectives walked through backyards with guns drawn.
Police said they found Fuller near 173rd Street and 111th Avenue in Jamaica around 6:30 p.m. parked in a red, minivan. He had shot himself in the leg and shoulder. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital.
Fuller previously served five years for a 2004 attempted murder conviction. He was also arrested in March 2010 for criminal possession of a controlled substance in Nassau County.
At the press conference held during the search on Tuesday, officials pointed out that Lopez was the second Nassau County cop killed in the last few weeks. Officer Joseph Olivieri, 43, was killed after a passing SUV struck him while he was trying to help a crash victim.
“It’s a very sad day here in Nassau County,” Mangano said.
By Ryan Lavis
