In the late summer of 1977, a 34-year-old male New York City Police Detective named Joseph D. Taylor responded to a call that would tragically be his last. On Monday, August 29th, a report came in of a man with a shotgun inside an apartment at 14 Linden Street in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Detective Taylor, a nine-year veteran of the force assigned to the 83rd Precinct, along with his partner, approached the fourth-floor apartment with their service weapons drawn, positioning
themselves on either side of the door.
After announcing their presence, the apartment door was suddenly flung open. Two blasts from a 12-gauge shotgun erupted from within the dimly lit residence. One of the rounds struck Detective Taylor squarely in the chest, ending his life. His partner returned fire, emptying both his own and Detective Taylor's revolvers into the apartment. When officers were finally able to enter the dwelling, they discovered a grim scene: one suspect lay dead, and another was wounded. Two other individuals in the apartment were unharmed.
The man who fired the fatal shots was identified as 22-year-old Carl Dean, also known as Carl Payne. It was later revealed that at the time of the shooting, there was an active bench warrant for Dean's arrest for failing to appear in court on a weapons charge. A search of his apartment uncovered a significant quantity of drugs.
In the aftermath of the violent encounter, Carl Dean was arrested and subsequently convicted of murder and three drug-related charges. He was sentenced to a term of 25 years to life in prison for the death of Detective Taylor. After serving several decades behind bars, Dean was granted parole on May 21, 2020, and was subsequently deported. Detective Taylor was survived by his wife and daughter.
