Pelham Bay (New York) corner named for hero cop
New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
By Frank Lombardi, Daily News City Hall Bureau
August 30th, 2006
New York - The somber rain matched the mood yesterday of a ceremony naming a Pelham Bay streetcorner in honor of slain police hero Daniel Enchautegui. The officer was killed Dec. 10 in a shootout with burglars he caught breaking into a neighbor's home.
"He really gave his life protecting the rest of us," Mayor Bloomberg said at a ceremony held, because of the rain, at the nearby St. Theresa School. "Being here today brings back the sorrow I think that we all felt that day, because when we lost Daniel, we lost a piece of our city's future," Bloomberg said of the 28-year-old police officer.
Dozens of uniformed officers stood in ranks behind Enchautegui's seated family and friends, including his mother and father, Maria and Pedro, and his sister, Yolanda Rosa. A street sign bearing the name Detective Daniel Enchautegui Way was unveiled, to be placed at the northeastern corner of Westchester Ave. and Arnow Place, up the block from where Enchautegui had lived and where he was fatally shot.
While off duty and in civilian clothes, Enchautegui had confronted two men - later identified as ex-con Steven Armento and Lillo Brancato, an actor who had parts in the film "A Bronx Tale" and TV's "The Sopranos" - as they were allegedly breaking into a next-door neighbor's home.
According to police accounts, Enchautegui identified himself as a cop, but Armento opened fire, hitting the officer in the chest. Though mortally wounded, Enchautegui managed to return fire, wounding Armento and Brancato, arrested by other cops responding to a 911 call the officer made before confronting the two men.
"Danny Enchautegui was one of our very best," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at the commemoration. "He served the people of New York City for three years, and he exhibited at the last moments of his life the instinct and discipline that earned him his sterling reputation." Kelly said Enchautegui's "amazing act of fortitude" in wounding the two suspects led to their capture. He added that the street sign will remind all who see it "of this outstanding young man who gave his life defending his community."
The suspects, who recovered from their wounds, are in jail awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges.
Retrieved August 30, 2006 from http://www.nydailynews.com
By Frank Lombardi, Daily News City Hall Bureau
August 30th, 2006
New York - The somber rain matched the mood yesterday of a ceremony naming a Pelham Bay streetcorner in honor of slain police hero Daniel Enchautegui. The officer was killed Dec. 10 in a shootout with burglars he caught breaking into a neighbor's home.
"He really gave his life protecting the rest of us," Mayor Bloomberg said at a ceremony held, because of the rain, at the nearby St. Theresa School. "Being here today brings back the sorrow I think that we all felt that day, because when we lost Daniel, we lost a piece of our city's future," Bloomberg said of the 28-year-old police officer.
Dozens of uniformed officers stood in ranks behind Enchautegui's seated family and friends, including his mother and father, Maria and Pedro, and his sister, Yolanda Rosa. A street sign bearing the name Detective Daniel Enchautegui Way was unveiled, to be placed at the northeastern corner of Westchester Ave. and Arnow Place, up the block from where Enchautegui had lived and where he was fatally shot.
While off duty and in civilian clothes, Enchautegui had confronted two men - later identified as ex-con Steven Armento and Lillo Brancato, an actor who had parts in the film "A Bronx Tale" and TV's "The Sopranos" - as they were allegedly breaking into a next-door neighbor's home.
According to police accounts, Enchautegui identified himself as a cop, but Armento opened fire, hitting the officer in the chest. Though mortally wounded, Enchautegui managed to return fire, wounding Armento and Brancato, arrested by other cops responding to a 911 call the officer made before confronting the two men.
"Danny Enchautegui was one of our very best," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at the commemoration. "He served the people of New York City for three years, and he exhibited at the last moments of his life the instinct and discipline that earned him his sterling reputation." Kelly said Enchautegui's "amazing act of fortitude" in wounding the two suspects led to their capture. He added that the street sign will remind all who see it "of this outstanding young man who gave his life defending his community."
The suspects, who recovered from their wounds, are in jail awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges.
Retrieved August 30, 2006 from http://www.nydailynews.com