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Cops Cheer As Alleged Cop Killer And Friends Are Held Without Bail
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 14, 2011
Modified Dec 14, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 14, 2011
Modified Dec 14, 2011
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Last night Lamont Pride, 27, was marched into a Brooklyn court wearing the handcuffs of late Officer Peter Figoski—the 47-year-old, 22-year NYPD veteran who Pride is said to have fatally shot in the face early Monday during a home invasion in East New York. Pride, already wanted for his involvement in a shooting in North Carolina, was ordered held without bail until his next court appearance, as were his four alleged accomplices: "accused ringleader Nelson Morales, 27; Ariel Tejada, 22; accused getaway driver Michael Velez, 21, and 30-year-old ex-con Kevin Santos." This was not the first time in court for any of them.
"Even though they’re relatively young people, they still have significant experience in crime," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said of the quintet at a press conference in which he further lambasted North Carolina officials for not extraditing Pride after the NYPD picked him up twice since September. "He should not have been out on the streets," Kelly said. "He should ideally have been extradited to North Carolina. But that did not happen."
Why exactly that didn't happen is currently wrapped up in an interstate and inter-department blame game. The NYPD says they asked for Pride to be extradited after his second arrest in November, but authorities in Greenboro dispute that timeline. Further, it remains unclear why Pride was released by a Brooklyn judge without the $2,500 bail prosecutors asked for. So naturally lots of people are now trying to get to the bottom of the story: "We need an immediate investigation by the administrative judge to learn what the judge knew that allowed the release of a dangerous criminal back on to the streets," City Councilman Vallone demanded yesterday.
Pride, who has reportedly "confessed to a 'substantial degree,'" but won't say he intentionally killed Figoski, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, aggravated murder of a police officer, and criminal possession of a weapon (as prosecutor Ken Taub put it, Figoski "was targeted for homicide because he wore the uniform of the NYPD,"). His alleged accomplice in the break-in that started the tragedy—a break-in that it now turns out was aimed at a drug dealer—Kevin Santos, faces second-degree murder charges and weapon charges as do the other three men involved with the exception of Moralez.
Moralez and Tejada, in fact, were captured by the police in a strange bit of fate. The pair initially talked to police and pretended to be witnesses passing by...but "when their stories began to unravel they were placed under arrest, the police said."
After the men were ordered held without bail the crowds of angry cops waiting outside the courtroom reportedly erupted into cheers.
Tagged
brooklyn
east new york
lamont pride
nypd
officer down
peter figoski
Garth Johnston
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