NYPD Officer Justin Vartanian, A Sachem Alum, Honored For Heroics

SACHEM, NY — Sachem alum and current NYPD Officer Justin Vartanian is reportedly receiving recognition for his actions in a deadly April shootout in a Washington Heights parking lot that left him with a gunshot wound. Vartanian had responded to calls of shots fired at the corner of Wadsworth Avenue and West 187th Street, police said at the time. When he approached a gun-wielding man who matched the description of a suspect, the man ran away.

The chase ended in a parking lot with the suspect and officer taking positions behind cars and trading gunfire at close range, police said. Vartanian was shot at three times and hit once in the right armpit. A second police officer then fired three shots at the suspect, hitting him once in the chest and killing him. The second officer was also taken to the hospital to be checked out.

Vartanian has since recovered from his injuries.

For his bravery, Vartianian, who also coached football at Sachem, was recently honored with a proclamation from the New York State Senate, and received a certificate of Exemplary Service from the NYPD Patrol Borough Manhattan North, according to the Sachem Report.

Locally, he will be the "Man of the Year" at this year's Sachem Football Golf Outing, according to the report.

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Police Officer Shot, Suspect Killed In Washington Heights: NYPD