In the summer of 1979, a dedicated New York City Housing Authority Police Officer lost his life in the line of duty. Ted Donald, a 32-year-old male officer with nine years of service, was a husband and a father. On Friday, June 15, 1979, he and his partner responded to a report of a burglary in progress at the Butler Housing Projects in the Bronx. Upon their arrival, they discovered an apartment door with a drilled-out lock, a clear sign of forced entry.
The two officers, partners who
often worked together, entered the apartment to investigate. As they proceeded down a hallway inside the residence, a single gunshot tragically ended Officer Donald's life. He was struck in the head and chest and died at the scene. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Officer Donald's partner returned fire, and the individual who had fired the fatal shot surrendered to the officer.
The man who shot Officer Donald, a 32-year-old male, was taken into custody and subsequently arrested and charged with murder. During the investigation, the suspect claimed that he had permission to be in the apartment and had mistaken Officer Donald for the burglar he had heard outside. The case went to trial, and on August 2, 1980, the suspect was convicted of a lesser charge, criminally negligent homicide. The maximum penalty for this conviction was four years in prison. Officer Donald was survived by his wife and daughter.
