By Gina Martinez
Two rookie officers from the 113th Precinct in Jamaica are in hot water for fleeing the scene after a gun accidently went off. One of the officers is 23-year-old Kevin Lynch, son of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association president, Patrick Lynch.
On Nov. 13 at around 11 p.m. Lynch and his officer friend, Robert Smilove, 22, were sitting in Smilove’s mother’s car near his Whitestone home on 10th Avenue, where he lives with his mother. According to the NYPD, Smilove was showing off his .38 caliber gun to Lynch when he accidently fired a bullet through the car window. Smilove had not told the department about the gun, police said. Both men left the scene without reporting the incident, the department said.
Officers soon responded to a call about a shot being fired in the area and when they ran the car plates, they were led to Smilove’s home. Smilove handed over the gun to police.
The NYPD patrol guide says that officers must be armed at all times when in New York City with a service revolver or pistol unless they are engaged in activity where it would be advisable not to carry a firearm or if they are drinking.
Smilove has been suspended for not reporting the incident, according to reports he faces dismissal because he was a rookie on probation, the New York Post said. Lynch, who joined the NYPD in 2014, was placed on modified duty for not reporting the incident, police said.
His father, Patrick Lynch, leads the biggest police union in the county. Lynch is a Bayside native who joined the NYPD in 1984 and became the head of the PBA in 1999. He has been called controversial for his criticism of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s views on some aspects of policing.
PBA did not respond to a request for comments.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
