Officer Miosotis Familia, 48, was about to wrap up her shift early Wednesday when a former convict walked up to the vehicle and shot the police officer in the head, killing her. The ex-convict was later shot dead by police after pulling a gun on the officers.
Police officer shot through the vehicle window
Familia, who had been with the New York Police Department for 12 years, was stationed in an NYPD mobile command post. She was writing up her shift activity when 34-year-old Alexander Bonds walked up to the vehicle. Bonds fired one round through the window, hitting Familia in the head.
Her partner immediately radioed for assistance, saying shots had been fired and including the code 10-85, which means that an officer is down. The partner continued by saying his partner had been shot.
NYC police officer shot and killed while sitting in patrol car https://t.co/ooNRPpuTpI pic.twitter.com/hhwC8pUtJW
— The Root (@TheRoot) July 5, 2017
Officers respond, shooting the ex-convict
As reported by the New York Daily News, officers responded to the scene and quickly caught up with Bonds around a block away from the scene. As the officers confronted the ex-convict, he pulled a revolver on them, leading to the police shooting Bonds dead.
Familia was taken to a hospital in the Bronx and was pronounced dead at 3:37 a.m.
Her partner was uninjured in the incident. In the shooting, a bystander reportedly caught a bullet in the stomach but is in a stable condition in hospital. Police recovered a silver revolver at the scene.
Police: NYC officershot while sitting in her patrol car died in a “clear assassination https://t.co/8wXxWaoqiu
— WJHL (@WJHL11) July 5, 2017
Police Commissioner dubs the shooting an "assassination"
New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill dubbed the incident an assassination, saying it was an “unprovoked attack” on officers assigned to protect the people of the city.
In his statement, O’Neill said the vehicle in which Familia was shot had been parked in that position since March this year, due to an increase in gun violence and gang activity in the area.
Former convict well known to police
Bonds, who also called himself John Bonds, was well known by police to have ranted online about the treatment he received while in prison.
Bonds had in September posted a video on Facebook, where he ranted about how hard life was in prison as well as the treatment of civilians by police officers. Photos posted by Bonds reportedly matched a police mugshot of the ex-convict.
On viewing surveillance footage covering the time of the incident, Bonds could be seen marching up to the police vehicle “with purpose,” according to officials, although it was not clear from the video what had provoked his attack.
ABC News quotes the New York City Mayor’s press secretary as saying de Blasio had been briefed on the incident and was visiting hospital where Familia was taken. The Daily News quotes de Blasio as saying Familia was on duty serving the city and protecting the people.
He said she was doing what she believed in and that it was a job that she loved. De Blasio went on to say that her fellow NYPD officers responded to her aid immediately after the shocking and sudden attack.