On a tragic night in Brooklyn, New York, the lives of two detectives were cut short in a violent encounter. Detective James Donegan, a 38-year-old male and a 14-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, along with his partner, Detective Salvatore Potenza, were responding to a domestic violence complaint on October 15, 1964. The detectives had been informed that a man had assaulted his wife and threatened her life.
The suspect was identified as Donald B.
Guyette, a 35-year-old ex-convict with a history of mental health issues. When Detectives Donegan and Potenza arrived at the Brooklyn apartment where Guyette was staying and knocked on the door, he opened fire with a rifle from within the residence. Both detectives were fatally wounded in the ambush. They were able to return fire before succumbing to their injuries, but the suspect was not hit.
Following the shooting, Guyette stole the officers' service weapons and fled to his wife's home. There, he confessed to her what he had done. After speaking with his son over the phone and confessing to a reverend who had been providing marriage counseling, Guyette took one of the stolen guns and ended his own life. As the perpetrator killed himself, there were no subsequent arrests or trial. Detective Donegan, a United States Navy veteran, was survived by his father. Both he and Detective Potenza were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
