Text Size
Smaller
Bigger

Off Duty NYC Police Detective Shoots Suspect While Drunk

posted 10:24 PM EST, Tue July 15, 2008
-- filed under: | |
Off Duty NYC Police Detective Shoots Suspect While Drunk © Photo: SuburbanCowboy

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of NYC called a shooting by an off duty and drunk policeman over the weekend, appropriate action.

A 42 year old unnamed NYC Police Detective has been placed on temporary modified duties after he was involved in an off duty shooting incident over the weekend. The detective was tested for alcohol after the shooting, and he blew a 0.09 - which is slightly over the legal limit of 0.08.

The detective was off duty at the time of the shooting. He saw a fight and intervened and one of the combatants, Stephon Allston, 22, fired at him with an automatic pistol. The detective returned fire and wounded Allston in the arm and leg.

Police are now tested for alcohol after any shooting incident, which is a policy change sparked by the fatal shooting by police of Sean Bell outside of a strip club. The officers were alleged to have been drinking at the time of that shooting. The unnamed officer involved in last weekend's shooting is the seventh to have been tested for alcohol since the implementation of the new policy, and the first to have been found intoxicated.

Asked about the incident, Mayor Bloomberg said that the officer, "saw something where people's lives were threatened and he took appropriate action to stop that. I think the officer acted correctly."

Several police unions have challenged in federal courts the requirement of testing officers for alcohol, and many say that it sends the wrong message to police in their communities. Pat Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Union said, "Among its problems is that it fails to take real-life police situations into account, it sends a message to off-duty officers not to get involved in crime-fighting and prevention."

Subscribe Subscribe to this topic category
Creative Commons License
Copyright Notice
We welcome republishing of our content on condition that you credit Choose Help and the respective authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Helpful Information
Alcohol Addiction - the Straight Facts
Addicted to Alcohol? Learn About Alcoholism & Treatment © Josep Salvia I Bote
The difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction (alcoholism), what puts you at risk of becoming an alcoholic and what to do once you’ve crossed that invisible line to addiction. Read Article
Addictions December 11, 2023
An Alcoholism Progression Timeline
A Timeline Charting the Progressive Nature of Alcoholism © Flannol
Here are 2 facts about alcoholism: It tends to get worse over time (it is progressive) and most people experience a fairly similar progression of symptoms and consequences. Here is a timeline which charts the progressive experiences of alcoholism through the early, middle and late stages. If you have a drinking problem, find out where you fall on the timeline and consider what’s coming in the future. Read Article
Alcoholism July 11, 2013 (18)

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.

Find Treatment
Browse by region »
Scan to call us
using your phone camera app