Officer Joseph Koch, 29, shot as he responded to a domestic violence incident on Father’s Day, was released from Jamaica Hospital today.
The hero cop was greeted by a wall of blue as he was wheeled out.
Koch was leaving the home of his fiancee’s father on South Road in Jamaica on Sunday, June 16 when he saw a 10-year-old boy run out of a nearby house and shout for help. The boy claimed his mother was being assaulted inside, police said.
Koch went into the home and found Jose Bernazard, 40, attacking his former girlfriend and the boy’s mother, Christina Rodriguez.
Bernazard, of Brooklyn, had allegedly broken into Rodriguez’s home, where he allegedly attacked her and her son, according to District Attorney Richard Brown. Neighbor Angela Richards said Bernazard had slashed the woman across her forehead.
However, this wasn’t the first time Bernazard had gone after Rodriguez. In January 2012, Rodriguez was asleep in her home and awoke to find Bernazard on top of her. He allegedly choked and repeatedly punched her. After the arrest for that incident, Bernazard was released on his own recognizance and served with an order of protection, Brown said.
After Koch heard the boy’s screams for help, he entered the home with his gun drawn and Bernazard attacked, going for the gun. Three shots were fired during the struggle, one hitting Koch’s left hand and another in Bernazard’s stomach, police said.
Following the incident, Bernazard was charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder, assault, menacing a police officer, criminal contempt, aggravated criminal contempt, burglary and endangering the welfare of a child. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
