A Nassau County police officer and a motorist were fatally shot on the Cross Island Parkway.
Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 23, a tan sedan was involved in a hit-and-run accident at 241st Street and Jamaica Avenue, right on the border of Queens and Long Island. An officer, 29-year-old Arthur Lopez, who was driving an ESU vehicle towards the scene, saw the SUV’s damaged fender and stopped the car. The driver shot Lopez several times and fled down the Cross Island Parkway. Lopez was taken to North Shore LIJ Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
After abandoning his damaged car, the gunman allegedly attempted to car-jack a motorist near Hempstead Avenue, fatally shooting the driver in the process. The shooter then took off on foot. Helicopters circled the area and officers canvassed homes in Queens Village, searching for the perpetrator.
A nearby store owner described the scene as “absolutely crazy.”
“When we’re here alone, the store is locked,” said the business owner. “You just don’t know who’s going to come in.”
This is the second Nassau County officer to be killed in the line of duty in less than a week. On Thursday, October 18, Officer Joseph Olivieri was killed when a vehicle struck him while he was responding to an accident on the Long Island Expressway.
— Additional reporting by Cristabelle Tumola
