Drunken NYPD detective busted for DWI after accidentally shooting his partner in the wrist while on a robbery investigation
I’ve always believed that when on-duty officers take a lunch or dinner break it is OK for them to have a beer with their food. The only downside to that is odor of an alcoholic beverage on their breaths which may cause some people to think they’re drunk. In the NYPD case, it is obvious the two detectives had way more than just one beer or whatever alcoholic drink they consumed.
DRUNKEN BROOKLYN COP ACCIDENTALLY SHOOTS PARTNER IN WRIST
Detective Jay Poggi, a 31-year veteran, was charged with DWI after the shooting early Thursday and then driving his wounded partner, who was hit in the wrist, to Jamaica Hospital in Queens
By Eli Rosenberg, Thomas Tracy and Rocco Parascandola
New York Daily News
April 24, 2014
A veteran NYPD detective was charged with driving while intoxicated after he accidentally shot his partner in the wrist during a game of drunken firearms show-and-tell early Thursday, cop sources said.
Detective Jay Poggi, a 31-year veteran, and his partner, Matthew Sullivan, had signed out of the 75th Precinct stationhouse in East New York, Brooklyn, saying they were headed to Far Rockaway on a robbery investigation, the sources said. During their travels, they went to a restaurant and a second establishment that serves alcohol, according to sources.
They left their second stop, in Howard Beach, Queens, between 1:30 a.m. and 1:50 a.m. — Poggi’s shift ended at 1 a.m., sources said. The duo got into their unmarked car, with the liquored-up Poggi at the wheel, and while the car was still parked, Poggi decided to show Sullivan the hammer on his gun, an old Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, according to sources and prosecutors.
The gun suddenly discharged, sending a round into Sullivan’s right wrist, breaking a bone.
Poggi, 58, drove his wounded partner to Jamaica Hospital, where Sullivan, a 12-year veteran, underwent surgery. A police lieutenant called to the hospital noticed that Poggi — who had said he was the driver — had bloodshot eyes and boozy breath, according to a criminal complaint.
At 3:15 a.m., a field sobriety test was administered — required by the NYPD in cases where cops fire their weapons. It showed Poggi had a blood-alcohol content of 0.113, well above the legal driving limit of 0.08, Assistant District Attorney James Liander said at Poggi’s arraignment.
A judge released Poggi without bail.
Sullivan, who was scheduled to be on duty until 8 a.m. Thursday, was in stable condition after surgery.
The shooting — first reported on NYDailyNews.com — is being probed by the Queens district attorney’s office and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau. Investigators believe the partners worked on the robbery case, then left the Rockaways, sources said.
Poggi, a first-grade detective who was weeks away from retiring, according to one source, could now be forced to retire or face departmental charges. Neither he nor his lawyer could be reached for comment.
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