FDR Drive To Close Sunday Morning As Part Of Investigation Into NYPD Officer Randolph Holder's Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Traffic on the FDR Drive will come to a halt in both directions Sunday morning as police continue to investigate the death of an NYPD officer earlier this week.
The closure is scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. from 96th Street to 132nd Street.
Earlier Saturday, police were out on boats in the East River searching for the weapon they said was used to shoot and kill Officer Randolph Holder.
Police said officers saw a gunfight Tuesday night from the roof of an East Harlem public housing building. They said Holder and his partner responded to that call when they came upon a man who said he had just been robbed of his bicycle at gunpoint.
Police said that's when Holder and his partner encountered Tyrone Howard, 30, who then shot Holder in the head. Holder's partner shot Howard in the leg. He fled and was arrested nearby.
Howard has been charged with murder and robbery. His lawyer has said there are missing details in the case.
Police have also released video of three men investigators said were in the shootout that prompted Holder and his partner to respond.
Howard had been referred to drug court and was out on bail when authorities said he shot and killed Holder. Mayor Bill de Blasio took a strong stand Friday, saying career criminals like Howard should remain locked up.
"I'm a progressive, I'm a humanitarian but I can also tell you some people are irredeemable," he said.
De Blasio said he wants judges to consider whether defendants pose a threat to the public when setting bail or steering them into drug diversion programs. His staff said New York, Missouri and Mississippi are the only states that don't allow potential danger to factor into those decisions.
Meanwhile, PBA President Patrick Lynch penned an op-ed Saturday saying officers need support all the time, writing in part: "Police officers want City Hall to be our partner in keeping New York safe. But that partnership can't succeed if the only time officers feel their efforts are supported and their contributions valued is when one of us has made the ultimate sacrifice."
De Blasio wouldn't answer CBS2's questions on camera about the op-ed earlier Saturday, but his office later released a statement stating in part: "Mayor de Blasio has hired 1,300 new officers to support NYPD and enhance safety for all neighborhoods, making NYC the safest large city in the country."
Crime stats from the NYPD show the city's murder rate is up 8.3 percent compared to a year ago.
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