On a summer night in 1995, the life of Anthony L. Brown, a 30-year-old Black/African American male, was tragically cut short. Brown, a seven-year veteran of the Nassau County Sheriff's Department working as a Corrections Officer, was off-duty and attending a party in West Babylon on June 18th. At approximately 1:00 a.m., a dispute erupted between a man and a woman on Essex Street, and Brown intervened to break up the altercation.
After his intervention, Brown returned to the party.
However, the male suspect involved in the initial conflict left the scene, went to his home to retrieve a firearm, and then came back to the party seeking out the man who had stepped in. The suspect located Officer Brown and shot him. Despite being wounded, Brown, a United States Army veteran, was able to draw his own weapon and return fire, fatally shooting his attacker.
Tragically, Anthony Brown succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the shooting. The assailant was killed at the scene by the officer's return fire. Brown was survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sons.
