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City Hall Shooting Aftermath
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 25, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 25, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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The only bright thing to come from the City Hall shooting, and it's only bright because of a tragedy, is the promotion of Police Officer Richard Burt to Detective, after his quick thinking and actions on Wednesday, killing Othniel Askew who had shot Councilman James E. Davis. Mayor Bloomberg praised, "Thankfully, we will never know what would have happened had Officer Burt not been there, been so quick on his feet and been so accurate with his gun," during the swearing in ceremony (pictures). Officer Burt had been 40 feet away, and gun experts tell Newsday that shots with that kind of accuracy, under those circumstances, are very impressive. Detective Burt plans to stay at City Hall.
In other news, authorities are trying to untangle the Davis-Askew relationship. The Times reports that Davis was a very tough politician, whereas Askew, "a former model," "had, according to court records, a minor criminal history driving under the influence, chasing his naked boyfriend into the street with a hammer and, according to some who came across him in Brooklyn, a near-desperate desire for some small place in the limelight."
Updated: There are reports that Askew was HIV-positive, based on medication in his Fort Greene home. Gothamist is wary of the tabloids seizing this information and starting another "homicidal homo" story angle. It is, though, worth saying that Askew seems to have a past as a big talker and at the center of some big lawsuits.
Among the visitors at City Hall on Wednesday: "Little princesses" - girls who had marched in the Puerto Rican Day Parade (in their tiaras) who were eventually taken to the Mayor's office for safekeeping.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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