Joseph Piagentini, a 28-year-old Caucasian male, was a five-year veteran of the New York City Police Department. On the evening of May 21, 1971, he was on foot patrol with his partner, Officer Waverly Jones, in the Colonial Park Houses public housing complex in Harlem. What began as a response to a reported disturbance would tragically end as a calculated and brutal ambush.
Around 10:00 p.m., as the two officers were heading back to their patrol car, they were ambushed by members of the
Black Liberation Army, a radical left-wing group. The call for a disturbance had been a ruse, a deliberate lure to draw police into a trap. Three assailants approached from behind and opened fire. Officer Jones was struck in the back of the head and died instantly. Officer Piagentini was shot multiple times and fell to the ground, severely wounded. As he pleaded for his life, telling his attackers he had a wife and two young daughters, the assailants continued their assault, shooting him a total of 13 times. He succumbed to his injuries while en route to the hospital. One of the attackers stole Officer Jones's service weapon before fleeing the scene.
An intensive investigation followed, leading to the identification of several suspects. Three men, Herman Bell, Anthony Bottom and Albert Washington, were eventually arrested and charged with the murders of both officers. The investigation revealed that the ambush was a targeted assassination of police officers as part of the Black Liberation Army's violent campaign against the U.S. government.
All three suspects were convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Their trials brought to light the cold-blooded nature of the attack and its political motivations. Albert Washington died in prison. Despite strong opposition from the Piagentini family and police unions, Herman Bell was granted parole in 2018. Anthony Bottom was also granted parole in 2020, decisions that sparked controversy and renewed grief for the families of the fallen officers.
