On a summer day in June of 1976, George Caccavale, a 33-year-old male, was working a second job to support his family. An 11-year veteran of the New York City Transit Police, he was off-duty and providing security for the Van Dam Check Cashing Corporation in Long Island City, Queens. On Friday, June 25th, as he was getting out of his car with a bag of cash for the business, three men who had been lying in wait ambushed him.
The perpetrators, identified as Richard Payton, Percy Moore, and Claude Holland, were aware that Caccavale was a police officer. Despite Caccavale immediately identifying himself and drawing his weapon, the assailants opened fire, shooting him in the chest, thigh, and legs. Witnesses inside the check-cashing facility reported hearing about four shots. The suspects then stole Caccavale's drawn firearm and fled the scene. George Caccavale was rushed to Greenpoint Hospital, where he succumbed to internal bleeding from his wounds the following day, on Saturday, June 26, 1976.
An investigation was launched by a task force of NYPD and Transit Detectives. The three suspects, who had previously met in prison, fled to other cities with assistance from Claude Holland. However, their escape was short-lived. All three were eventually apprehended by the task force. Richard Payton, Percy Moore, and Claude Holland were all convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree armed robbery. The two robbers were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, while the getaway driver received a sentence of 20 years to life. Richard Payton and Percy Moore later died in prison. Claude Holland, the mastermind of the deadly robbery, has reportedly sought parole in recent years.
