GETTING WORSE

New York Police Officer Dies by Suicide, Becoming the Ninth on the Force This Year: Report

The officer reportedly shot himself one day after a fellow cop became the eighth NYPD office to commit suicide in 2019.

A New York City police officer took his own life on Wednesday at his home in Queens, becoming the ninth NYPD officer to commit suicide this year, according to The New York Daily News. The wife of Robert Echeverria, 56, reportedly called 911 saying he was a police officer and had shot himself. Police responded to the scene at around 6:20 p.m., and emergency responders rushed him to North Shore-Long Island Jewish Hospital. Echeverria reportedly joined the NYPD 25 years ago, and was part of the Strategic Response Group—which typically handles situations like mass shootings and protests. On Tuesday, another officer—35-year-old Johnny Rios—shot himself in the head at his Yonkers home and died. One of Rios’ friends, Kevin Preiss, was one of the four NYPD officers who killed themselves in June.