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“This is a tragic case of friendly fire,” O’Neill said during a press conference Monday, Sept. 30. “It’s an absolute tragedy.
O'Neill went on to say that as the suspect, Antonio Lavance Williams, who was also killed, reached for his gun, Mulkeen fired five shots, causing five other officers on the scene to open fire, firing a total of 15 rounds, with two hitting Mulkeen.
A loaded, .32-caliber gun was found on Williams, but it had not been fired, the department said.
Mulkeen’s pistol had been fired five times.
“This is an absolute tragedy that was caused by a convicted felon carrying an illegal, loaded firearm,” O’Neill said.
Williams, of Binghamton, was on probation for a drug arrest from 2018. He also had a prior arrest for burglary in Rockland County, the NYPD said.
His unit was patrolling near the Edenwald Houses when Mulkeen and fellow officers spotted Williams near the complex and attempted to stop and speak with him about recent shootings in the area, police said.
But when they got out of their vehicle, Williams ran with Mulkeen and another officer in pursuit.
Mulkeen was heard on body-camera footage yelling, “He’s reaching for it! He’s reaching for it!” Then the shooting began.
Raised in Orange County, Mulkeen lived in Yorktown Heights with his girlfriend, who is also a police officer in the Bronx, working in the 44th precinct. Mulkeen was a member of the 47th precinct.
O'Neil said Mulkeen had made more than 270 gun arrest during his time on the unit, including one the day before he was killed.
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