DA: 2nd Suspect Arrested In Case Of Nassau County Cop Killing
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The alleged gunman behind the killings of a Nassau County police officer and a carjacking victim was officially charged on Thursday. That development came as a second person has was arrested in connection with the case.
Gerald Williams was arrested on weapons possession charges, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement following the arraignment of Darrell Fuller in Hempstead.
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Fuller was charged with two counts of murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and other charges in the deaths of Officer Arthur Lopez, 29, and Raymond Facey, 58.
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Nearly 50 officers, mostly in uniform, attended Fuller's arraignment. About 50 more filled the hallways outside the courtroom.
He was transferred from Jamaica Hospital in Queens to Nassau County under heavy guard on Wednesday. Police said he was being treated for gunshot wounds.
The 33-year-old shot and killed Lopez during a traffic stop on the Cross Island Parkway, police said. He then killed Facey execution-style with a gunshot to the head and stole his car in an attempt to get away, police said.
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"Two honorable men lost their lives," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said at a news conference following Fuller's arraignment. "These were senseless deaths and my thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims' families."
Several hours after the shootings, Fuller was found sitting inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds to his neck and shoulder, police said.
But in the course of their investigation, prosecutors said they discovered that Fuller had "reached out to associates of his" to make it look like he himself had been a victim of an attack.
"He did reach out to associates and he did engineer a situation in which he would be wounded, apparently to try to create the impression that he was an innocent victim and not a perpetrator," Assistant District Attorney Mitchell Benson said at the news conference.
Benson said Williams lent a Nissan Altima to Fuller after the shootings and that two guns were in the car when it was returned. He said investigators are working to determine if one of the guns was the murder weapon.
Williams was scheduled to be arraigned later Thursday in Queens.
Fuller was being held without bail and faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
Fuller served four years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in 2005. He was released in May 2011 after being jailed the year before for violating his parole.
"This is a man who should rot in hell and should never see the light of day again," said Nassau County PBA President James Carver.
A wake was held Thursday and will be held again Friday for Lopez, a decorated police officer and an eight-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department. He was also a volunteer firefighter and an EMT.
Officer Lopez's funeral will be held on Saturday.
It was a day of hugs and heartache as Lopez's police partner, who witnessed the horror and was the one who tried to save the officer with chest compressions, joined his police family to mourn the loss of a beloved cop just doing his job.
"And Artie may he rest in peace, he's looking down on us today," Nassau Police Lt. Adam Schneiner said.
Lopez leaves behind grief-stricken parents and heartbroken friends.
"He just loved his family and he's all they had, he was just wonderful," said former girlfriend Daniella D'Auria. "He was the best person I ever met."
A memorial fund has been established in Lopez's name. Checks can be made payable to The PO Arthur Lopez Memorial Fund and mailed to the PBA office at 89 East Jericho Turnpike Mineola, N.Y. 11501.
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