Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Undercover Cop Fatally Shoots Brooklyn Man During Drug Bust
By
Billy Parker
Published Jul 12, 2009
Modified Jul 12, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published Jul 12, 2009
Modified Jul 12, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A 49-year-old handyman who was up from Pennsylvania visiting his sick mother in Clinton Hill was shot last night by an undercover cop in a separate drug bust that went awry. Shem Walker had just finished cooking his family dinner when he told them that was going out to buy cigarettes in the Brooklyn neighborhood around 8 p.m.
Details still seem unclear, but according to the Post, the father of two "confronted a plainclothes officer from the Brooklyn North Narcotics squad." The News says that Walker hit the cop with an unknown object while the officer was serving as a backup on a nearby drug sting. There is no indication that Walker was carrying a gun when he was shot by the officer in the head and the chest. A witness told the Post, "We heard a low mumbling sound, like someone was talking to someone.Then we heard 'No, don't!' and then we heard a gun shot."
Walker, a 15-year retired army veteran, was visiting his mother at a brownstone the family owned at 370 Lafayette Avenue. He worked as a handyman and sometimes did work on the house. His sister said, "He was a good person. He really was. He had a heart of gold." His brother called him "the greatest guy in the world."
Internal Affairs and the Brooklyn DA are investigating the shooting. The Times has received several reports from nearby locals, one of whom wrote, "Dude looked pretty dead, laying out for a few minutes with a couple cops standing around, then about 30 cops after 5 minutes."
Tagged
brooklyn
clinton hill
drug bust
drug sting
nypd
police shooting
shem walker
undercover cop
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens mother charged with murder in death of 5-year-old daughter, NYPD says
Francis Cabello, 32, was arrested and charged on Thursday.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 11:57 a.m. ET
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds, chilly temps, NWS says
Friday expect scattered showers and thunder, cooler temperatures Saturday, and a sunny Sunday.
By
Monica Melton
News
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds, chilly temps, NWS says
Friday expect scattered showers and thunder, cooler temperatures Saturday, and a sunny Sunday.
By
Monica Melton
Early Addition: Winning an affordable housing lottery is great unless it's not
By
James Ramsay
Mamdani and 100+ NY officials urge parking lot owners to ban ICE
By
Arya Sundaram
NYC ambulance response times have grown 41% as life-threatening calls rise
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .