On a November day in 1989, a tragic series of events unfolded that led to the death of 46-year-old New York City Police Detective Richard Guerzon. A 20-year veteran of the force, Guerzon was assigned to the Queens District Attorney's Squad. On November 13th, he and his partner, Detective Keith L. Williams, were tasked with transporting a 25-year-old prisoner, Jay Harrison, back to Rikers Island from the Queens District Attorney's Office where a polygraph test had been scheduled.
Earlier
that day, Harrison had been left unsupervised in a room, handcuffed to a pipe. This lapse in security allowed him to break into a nearby locker and steal a handgun. Later, as Detectives Guerzon and Williams were driving Harrison back to the detention facility, he produced the concealed weapon. While on the Grand Central Parkway near LaGuardia Airport, Harrison ordered the detectives to pull the car over. As soon as the vehicle stopped, he fatally shot both Detective Guerzon and Detective Williams from behind, striking each of them three times.
After the shooting, Harrison managed to use the detectives' keys to uncuff himself. He then dragged Detective Guerzon's body from the vehicle in an attempt to steal the car but was unsuccessful. Harrison fled the scene on foot, prompting a massive manhunt. He was apprehended ten hours later at his girlfriend's house in the East New York section of Brooklyn.
Jay Harrison was subsequently charged with murder, escape, and possession of a weapon. He was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder and received a sentence of 91 years to life in prison. His parole eligibility is set for the year 2079. An investigation following the murders revealed significant procedural failures, including the unlocked locker and the inadequate supervision of the prisoner, which led to changes in how firearms are secured and prisoners are handled. In 1999, the city was found liable for negligence in the deaths of the two detectives, though this decision was later vacated.
