Last Words Of Bronx Cop Shot Dead: 'He's Reaching For It'

THE BRONX, NEW YORK — An NYPD officer was shot and killed in The Bronx early Sunday morning during a struggle with a suspect who also lost his life, according to police.

Officer Brian Mulkeen, 33, was caught in a violent struggle near the Edenwald Houses on East 229th Street and Laconia Avenue about 12:30 a.m. when suddenly he cried out, "He's reaching for it, he's reaching for it," police said.

Gunshots rang out and Mulkeen, who had been with the NYPD for more than six years, was shot three times, Chief of Department Terence A. Monahan said.

"There is absolutely no worse moment on our job than this," Monahan said at a press conference outside Jacobi Medical Center, where Mulkeen later died.

"A young man with a bright future who courageously patrolled some of New York City's toughest streets has tragically lost his life."

The violent night began when three officers got out of their patrol car to question a man who turned and began to run, said police.

When the bullets began to fly, five officers fatally shot the suspect, a 27-year-old man who was later found to have a .32 caliber revolver, several prior arrests and burglary conviction in Rockland County, police said.

Monahan was joined by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark to announce Mulkeen had died from his injuries.

"Brian was a great cop dedicated to keeping this city safe," Monahan said. "Tragedies like this are not only an affront to the men and women in blue, but to all the people our cops proudly serve."

According to police, Mulkeen lived in Yorktown Heights with his girlfriend, a 44th Precinct cop.

Patch's Colin Miner and Kathleen Culliton contributed reporting to this story.