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Off-Duty Cop Who Fired Gun Was Drunk
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 15, 2008
Modified Jul 15, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 15, 2008
Modified Jul 15, 2008
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According to the NY Post, an off-duty police detective who used his gun to stop a group of men--at least one of whom was armed--from beating another person was found to have a blood alcohol level over the legal limit.
Ever since the Sean Bell shooting, the NYPD has adopted new guidelines that require police officers to take Breathalyzer tests after using their firearms and hit someone. In this incident which took place in Queens, the detective had a 0.10 blood alcohol level, above the state limit of 0.08. Per the Post, he had "fired five times, hitting the suspect in the arm and leg," after Stephen Allston fired three times with a Tec-9 automatic handgun.
It's unclear whether the detective will lose his job. Some police sources tell the Post, "Years ago, if you didn't take action, the department would accuse you of cowardice. Now they encourage you not to take action," and "Anybody who carries their gun off duty is an absolute idiot." Yesterday, two off-duty corrections officers used their guns to thwart an attempted robbery and carjacking in separate incidents.
Tagged
breathalyzer
drinking and shooting
nypd
off-duty
off-duty shooting
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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