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Cop Who Hunted Down Mugger While Pumping Blood Gets Promoted In Bedside Ceremony
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 26, 2012
Modified Oct 26, 2012
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Via NYPD
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 26, 2012
Modified Oct 26, 2012
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The NYPD officer who intervened in a Bronx mugging and caught a bullet in the chest for his troubles was promoted to detective yesterday in a surprise bedside ceremony attended by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg. Officer—now Detective—Ivan Marcano is still recovering in Bronx Lebanon Hospital following the dramatic Wednesday night shootout, which occurred as Marcano was riding shotgun with his girlfriend around 6:30 p.m. She spotted a man getting mugged on Harrison Avenue, and Marcano, who was off-duty, jumped out with his badge and gun drawn.
Det. Marcano was shot in the chest by one of three alleged perpetrators, who sped off in a white Mustang. The bullet barely missed his heart, and Marcano, gushing blood, got back in the car and his girlfriend started driving him to get medical attention. Then, according to the NYPD:
A block north, at the intersection of Burnside Avenue and Harrison, Officer Marcano's girlfriend, intent on getting him to the hospital, sounded her car horn several times. There were three vehicles in front of her, stopped for a red light. The white Mustang immediately in front of her lurched forward, striking a black livery car, hitting another parked car, and careening onto the sidewalk, where it came to a stop.
The three suspects from the shooting got out of the Mustang. Realizing that they were the robbery suspects, Officer Marcano got out of his car and took cover two car lengths away from the suspects.
Police Commissioner Kelly pointed out, "In a remarkable display of marksmanship and calm under fire, Officer Marcano did all of this while using his left hand to apply pressure to the gunshot wound to his chest and using his right to shoot one-handed. This is all the more incredible since Officer Marcano is left-handed."
MOS involved shooting 46pct from Gothamist on Vimeo.
He then proceeded to walk to an ambulance that happened to be nearby, and was rushed to the hospital. The suspect he shot, 18-year-old Prince James, died on the street from a gunshot wound to the head. James was a member of the Jackson Avenue Gunners gang, and had been arrested for shooting a rival gang member in the foot last month, but the victim refused to testify and the Bronx DA declined to prosecute.
“They were waiting for DNA on the gun and released him,” one "fuming" source tells the Post. “They could have held him on a parole violation. Three days later they decided to — but by then he was gone.” The gun James used was stolen from South Carolina. Investigators are questioning one suspect who may have driven the getaway vehicle, and they're also searching for an accomplice sources identified as Jason Leiva, 20.
Their victim Wednesday night, livery cabdriver Mario Abarca, 60, had just finished his shift when he was jumped by the three muggers, who grabbed him from behind with a gun pointed at him. Yesterday Abarca, a Chilean-born father of six, expressed his gratitude to Det. Marcano, telling the Post, "I will be thankful to him for the rest of my life. God has been good to me. I’m lucky to see my kids again."
After his bedside visit to promote Marcano, Commissioner Kelly told reporters, "He was surprised—he was a little sedated. Certainly very happy. He just did a remarkable job and (there was) a promotion ceremony today, so we thought it would be appropriate to do it. Obviously, he couldn't attend, so that's why we did it."
Tagged
bronx
cop shot
ivan marcano
mugging
nypd
promotion
the bronx
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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