On the evening of May 12, 2020, a dispute between childhood friends in Farmingdale, New York, ended in tragedy. Christopher Curro, a 25-year-old male, was shot and killed by his longtime friend, Errick Allen, who at the time was an off-duty rookie NYPD officer. The two had grown up just houses apart and were once as close as 'peanut butter and jelly,' according to a former teacher.
Their friendship, which had started in elementary school, saw them through Farmingdale High School and into young adulthood.
The fatal encounter was preceded by a series of angry text messages over a perceived breach of trust. The two agreed to meet in a wooded area in Farmingdale to settle their differences. Shortly after 8:00 p.m. on Langdon Road, Allen shot Curro five times at close range with his NYPD service weapon, including twice in the head. Curro was unarmed at the time of the shooting. After initially fleeing the scene, Allen returned about half an hour later and admitted to the shooting, claiming it was in self-defense.
Following the incident, Errick Allen, who was 28 at the time and had been a police officer for seven months, was suspended and later terminated by the NYPD. In August 2021, a grand jury indicted Allen on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. The New York Attorney General's office prosecuted the case, arguing that the shooting was an 'execution style' killing. Allen's defense attorney maintained that Curro was the aggressor, had attacked Allen, and that the shooting was a 'classic case of self-defense.'
The trial concluded in March 2024. A Nassau County jury acquitted Errick Allen of the murder and manslaughter charges. He was, however, convicted of a misdemeanor menacing charge. Having been incarcerated since his indictment in August 2021, Allen was scheduled for release following the verdict, as the sentence for the menacing charge was less than the time he had already served. Curro's family expressed their shock and anger at the outcome, stating that their son was unarmed and had only used words during the confrontation.
