Wounded Cop Disarms Burly Gunman, Protecting Partner in Violent Battle

It was the 10 most dangerous seconds in any cop’s life. Police Officer David Gonzalez, 26, of Middle Village, had just lost a scuffle with a 250-pound, 6-footer in the lobby of a six-floor walk-up on 114-05 l70 St. in St. Albans when he was wounded by the burly gunman.
Details of the officer’s brush with death were revealed last week when Gonzalez was cited as "Cop of the Month," an award sponsored jointly by Patrol Borough Queens South and The Queens Courier.
Authorities said the gunman, whom they said was drunk,had wrested Gonzalez’s .38 caliber revolver away after a struggle and had the three-year veteran of the force squarely in his sights. The slightly built cop survived after the shot struck him in the right hip.
Gonzalez and his partner, Officer Patrick Levy, had been dispatched to St. Albans to investigate a dispute, but a second call alerted them with reports of a man with a gun in the building.
As they entered the lobby, the hefty perpetrator, William Hodges, 27, a resident of the building, came running down the steps. Gonzalez stopped him and asked for I.D.
"He flung it on the floor," Gonzalez said. "There was a struggle and I lost control of my weapon," the officer told The Courier.
Then the cop found himself looking into the barrel of his own gun; and 10 seconds later Hodges allegedly pulled the trigger and Gonzalez was struck in the right hip, the bullet exiting his buttock. He began bleeding profusely as he lay on the lobby floor.
Gonzalez, who is based in the 113 Precinct, told The Courier, "I was scared that the suspect would use the gun on my partner and other police in the building."
So despite his wounds, the cop managed to regain possession of the weapon from Hodges and remove the clip before the suspect had a chance to use it.
The ensuing melee was further complicated when three residents of the building intervened. Police said the building, known as The American Towers, was a frequent drug location.
When Hodges was finally subdued, police found a gun in an ankle holster.
Gonzalez was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and was treated there for three days. He plans to return to duty next month.
Gonzalez’s actions Nov. 12 made him the unanimous choice for the "Cop of the Month" award, given last week at Patrol Borough Queens South.
In a room filled with wellwishers and family members, Chief Joseph Fox, commander of Patrol Borough Queens South, called the incident "one that makes me proud. It was a violent gun battle. I’m thrilled he is fully recovered. As one who attends the funerals of men cut down in the line of duty, I want to acknowledge Officer Gonzalez’s heroic action under difficult circumstances."
Fox said residents of the building where the gunfight occurred wrote to thank Gonzalez while he was recovering.
Gonzalez’s mother, Patricia, and girlfriend, Melissa Montejo, looked on as police brass including Inspector Jack McManus, commander of the 107 Precinct, conducted the "Cop of the Month" ceremony along with representatives of The Courier.