Suffolk police officer's shooting another reminder of risks of the job, experts say

It was like a police training scenario with a grim outcome had come to life overnight in Bay Shore: A Suffolk police officer approaching a home with a search warrant for a homicide suspect is instead met with gunfire through an open door.

The shooting early Thursday left the officer with gunshot wounds to the face, the suspect in custody, and experts telling Newsday it's another example of the risk law enforcement officers take every day on the street, where thorough training, planning and preparation sometimes meet their match in real life.

Even after conducting surveillance, studying the location and completing background checks on residents, there is always an element of the unknown that cannot be controlled, experts said. That includes being unfamiliar with the layout of the dwelling, who’s inside and whether anyone is armed.

"Warrants are very dangerous, they always have been. People think it's very simple to do. We can plan, we can coordinate, but there's always that variable, and that's up to the subject or the subjects of the location, if they're going to comply with being arrested," said David Sarni, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"Once you hit that door, anything can go," added Sarni, a former NYPD detective who conducted criminal and narcotics investigations before retiring three years ago.

Early Thursday, a Third Precinct officer was shot in the face while serving a warrant to a possible homicide suspect in Bay Shore, not far from where the victim had been found fatally wounded in some brush. Police said the suspect allegedly opened fire while the door was open, striking the officer, who is expected to fully recover, Newsday reported. 

"Our officer could have lost his life," said Lou Civello, president of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association. Civello said Suffolk officers serving warrants are trained in tactics, negotiation and are "expert marksman," who prioritize keeping the public safe. The officers did not fire their weapons.

Retired NYPD Det. Michael Alcazar said this shooting reinforces how suspects may have an advantage inside their home while police have to take proper precautions.

"There's a lot of disadvantages and unknowns when you're executing a warrant," Alcazar said. "Look at this guy, he just starts shooting, he doesn’t care who he hits, if he hits the neighbors ... Police have to use weapons control," said Alcazar, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 

Policing experts said judges in New York can issue a knock warrant, which requires police to announce their presence and intention, and a no-knock warrant, which allows police to enter unannounced and are issued under narrow circumstances, such as when police believe evidence will be destroyed or the suspect will flee.

It's unclear whether the Suffolk police were serving the warrant announced or not.

Thor Eells, the executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association, discourages the use of no-knock warrants because he said there is an increased risk of violence.

Eells said there are about a half dozen tactics officers use to serve warrants that are standard across all agencies. The modes for announced warrants include officers breaching a location but staying by the door and calling the persons of interest, or only staying in a room a short distance from the main entry. Other strategies include, a "surround and call out," which he said involves setting up a containment zone around the property and calling the suspect from outside to announce what's happening. Each mode is evaluated against potential dangers unique to each case and location.

"There will always be risk, because no matter what law enforcement does, they never control what the bad guy does. They can only control their own behavior and their own tactics," Eells said. "At the end of the day, the suspect is the wild card. You don't know if they're going to be compliant, you don't know if they're going to be violent."

By Lorena Mongelli

lorena.mongelli@newsday.com

Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.