On a Friday afternoon, December 2, 1994, Police Officer Raymond Cannon, a 26-year-old male with four years of service with the New York City Police Department, was involved in a fatal encounter in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. He and his partner were responding to a call about suspicious activity inside a bicycle shop on East 107th Street.
Upon their arrival at approximately 3:45 p.m., the officers entered the store to investigate. One of the men inside, posing as an employee, assured them that there was no problem. As the officers began to relax their guard and holster their weapons, a second man suddenly emerged from a hiding spot, armed with a 9 mm handgun, and opened fire. Officer Cannon was struck twice in the face during the initial volley of gunfire.
A fierce gun battle erupted as Officer Cannon's partner returned fire, striking the gunman eight times. As backup officers arrived at the chaotic scene, they managed to pull the wounded Officer Cannon from the store. He was rushed to Brookdale Hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Inside the bicycle shop, a total of four suspects were involved in the incident. The suspect who shot Officer Cannon was killed by the return fire from Cannon's partner. The remaining three suspects were discovered hiding in the basement of the building and were taken into custody. It was later revealed that two of these apprehended individuals were the brothers and nephews of the deceased gunman.
In the aftermath, the three captured suspects faced the legal consequences of their actions. One was convicted on charges of murder, robbery, and gun possession, receiving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Another was sentenced to 16 and 2/3 to 50 years for robbery and gun possession. The third suspect, who was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was sentenced to nine years to life. Despite being denied parole eight times, he was eventually granted parole in 2018. By December of 2021, all three of the convicted individuals had been paroled. For their heroic actions during the incident, both Officer Cannon and his partner were posthumously awarded the NYPD's Medal of Honor in 1996.
