On a cold December morning in 2011, a decorated 22-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, Officer Peter Figoski, responded to a report of a break-in at a basement apartment in the Cypress Hills section of Brooklyn. The 47-year-old officer, a devoted father to four daughters, was tragically shot and killed during the encounter that unfolded on December 12, 2011.
That morning, at approximately 2:15 a.m., a 911 call from a landlord reporting a robbery in progress at his
basement apartment on Pine Street set in motion the events that would lead to Figoski's death. Figoski and his partner, Glenn Estrada, were part of the backup team that arrived at the scene. Unbeknownst to the officers who were interviewing the tenant, the suspects were still hiding in a side room of the narrow apartment. As the suspects attempted to flee, they ran directly into Officer Figoski. One of the men, Lamont Pride, shot Figoski in the face at close range.
While his partner was struggling with another suspect, Officer Estrada heard the gunshot and saw the shooter flee. Estrada pursued Pride for several blocks and apprehended him. Figoski was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:17 a.m. The bullet had struck him under his left eye and caused devastating injuries. In the aftermath of the shooting, five individuals were arrested in connection with the crime.
The man who fired the fatal shot, 27-year-old Lamont Pride, was charged with murder. Alongside him, four other men were implicated in the botched robbery that led to the officer's death: Michael Velez, Ariel Tejada, Kevin Santos, and Nelson Morales, who were all charged with second-degree murder. Pride was a wanted man in North Carolina in connection with another shooting and had previously served time for robbery.
In February 2013, a jury found Lamont Pride guilty of second-degree murder but acquitted him of the more serious charge of first-degree murder, which would have implied intent to kill a police officer. He was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison. Michael Velez, the alleged getaway driver, was acquitted of all charges. Another accomplice, Ariel Tejada, pleaded guilty and testified against the others in exchange for a reduced sentence of 18 years in prison. Peter Figoski was posthumously promoted to the rank of Detective First Grade.
