Family & Friends Of Officer, Carjacking Victim Killed On Queens Border Devastated
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Despite the capture of a suspect, there was nothing but grief Tuesday night for the families of shooting victims Arthur Lopez and Raymond "Brian" Facey.
Both the Nassau County Police officer and the carjacking victim each were brought down by a single gunshot earlier in the day.
LOPEZ'S FAMILY 'INCONSOLABLE'
Officer Lopez's death has hit the Nassau County Police Department particularly hard. He is the second police officer killed in the line of duty in a week.
Lopez's devastated parents returned home Tuesday, holding each other while carrying the pain of knowing that their son is gone forever.
"His mother is inconsolable, his sister, his father," family friend Nancy Vasquez told CBS 2's Dick Brennan.
Vasquez remembered little "Artie," as he was fondly known, playing on Barclay Avenue in Flushing.
"To see him grow up into a teenager, an adult...it really breaks my heart, it really, really breaks my heart," Vasquez tearfully said. "I hope he's at peace now and he's away from the bad guys. Only the good die young."
Lopez longed to join the NYPD, but his friend, NYPD Officer Ernie Cevallos, gave him some fateful advice.
"I used to tell him, 'Go out to Long Island, take the test out there, because it might be less stressful and dangerous,'" Cevallos said.
Friends said he was excited when he passed the Nassau County police exam and he went on to serve eight years as a decorated cop. He was also a volunteer firefighter in Dix Hills and an EMT.
"He was a great officer and had respect for everyone. He was unbelievable," one friend said.
NEIGHBORS FONDLY REMEMBER 'ARTIE'
Four years ago, Lopez moved out to West Babylon, where he lived in a small ranch and made friends quickly.
"We moved in a year ago and one day this man showed up, brought us a pie," neighbor Colleen Donovan told CBS 2's Carolyn Gusoff.
Neighbors described a handsome, strong, hulk of man with an endearing smile and even sweeter disposition.
"Not a bad thing to say about him from the first day he moved in and introduced himself as 'Artie Lopez.' He was a neighbor and friend. He will be dearly lost and remembered," Michael Cullen said.
1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon With Officer Lopez's Neighbors
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Cullen also welcomed the news that the manhunt for the suspect ended Tuesday evening.
"Hang him up by his thumbnails -- just do what's right," Cullen told 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon.
"I'm glad they caught him and I hope he spends the rest of his life in jail," Kathy Rescigno added.
Rob Roca said he spent the afternoon glued to the news and was relieved to finally hear that the suspect was found.
"Thank God they got that off the street. It's a shame we gotta live among, I don't even want to call him a person like that -- took away such a nice guy," Roca said.
TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES IN FATAL CARJACKING
Meanwhile, the family of 58-year-old Raymond "Brian" Facey, who was carjacked and killed, was struggling to understand how a beloved grandfather became the victim of such bad circumstance.
"I don't have words, I really don't have words, I'm sorry," said Claudette Cameron, the victim's sister-in-law.
Facey's family and friends gathered in Brooklyn and Queens numb with disbelief.
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The husband, father and grandfather pulled over on the shoulder of the Cross Island Parkway to avoid getting a cellphone ticket when the carjacker came upon him and murdered him for his ride.
One of the victim's daughters told family members she was on the phone with her father when it happened.
"She heard him say like 'Who?' and then like 'oh,' like a frightened sound like he just seen a gun," said Joslyn Cameron, the victim's brother-in-law. "It's just bad luck, man. I'm devastated. He's a good guy. He's a good family guy."
The Jamaica-born Facey had lived in the United States for almost 30 years. He was a truck driver. He has a grown son and three daughters and a 2-year-old granddaughter, who was the light of his life.
He has extended family along the East Coast, back in Jamaica and in Europe -- many of whom were still being notified many hours after the killing.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Darrell Fuller, was captured late Tuesday afternoon at 111th Avenue and 173rd Street in St. Albans. As of 8 p.m., he was hospitalized under police watch in guarded condition with gunshot wounds, according to Nassau County Police Chief Steven Syrnecki.
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