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Third NYPD Suicide In 10 Days As Police Officer Is Found Dead Near Staten Island Precinct

By

Jen Chung

Published Jun 15, 2019

Modified Jun 16, 2019

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Police Commissioner James O'Neill in 2017

 

Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

By

Jen Chung

Published Jun 15, 2019

Modified Jun 16, 2019

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A 29-year-old police officer shot himself behind the 121st Precinct on Staten Island on Friday afternoon. The officer was pronounced dead at the scene, making it the third death of a police officer by suicide in 10 days.

"This is a mental-health crisis," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

On June 5th, Deputy Chief Stephen Silks, just a few days before his forced retirement, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car in Queens. The following day, homicide detective Joseph Calebrese was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Plumb Beach.

The Staten Island officer was identified by the Staten Island Advance and NY Post as Michael Caddy, a domestic violence officer. He was apparently off-duty at the time and was discovered by another off-duty officer shortly before 4 p.m. on Wilcox Street.

Sources told PIX11 that Caddy was "going through a difficult divorce."

Caddy's lawyer, Brian Perskin, spoke to the Daily News, describing the divorce as "non-eventful" and explaining that Caddy and his wife "wanted to do the right thing by each other." He added, "He was getting divorced, so he wasn’t happy. He was pretty stressed out. But this is totally unexpected. I feel bad for the wife, and especially his father, who he was very close to."

"In less than 10 days’ time, the NYPD has lost three of its own to suicide: a respected chief, an experienced detective, and — today about 3:50 p.m. outside the Staten Island precinct at which he worked — a promising, 29-year-old police officer with six years on the job. This is a mental-health crisis. And we — the NYPD and the law enforcement profession as a whole — absolutely must take action," Commissioner O'Neill said in a statement.

This cannot be allowed to continue. Cops spend so much of their days assisting others. But before we can help the people we serve, it is imperative that we first help ourselves. There is no shame in seeking assistance from the many resources available, both inside and outside the department. Accepting help is never a sign of weakness — in fact, it’s a sign of great strength. Please, connect yourself or your friends and colleagues to the assistance that is so close by. We must take care of each other. We must address this issue — now — because it will not go away on its own. We must speak out. And we must end this crisis, together. The resources (you can call for yourself or make a confidential referral for someone else) are:

NYPD-SPECIFIC

OUTSIDE OPTIONS

Mayor Bill de Blasio also released a statement, "Today our city is mourning the loss of another officer gone too soon. Three brave members of our police force have taken their lives in recent days. All of them led lives that made their communities better. All of their lives had meaning. I want every member of the NYPD to know: your city is here for you. You are not alone. Help is here. Reach out. We are working with the Police Department to continue to put resources front and center, and that our officers have every possible support."

A clinical psychologist, Dr. Jeff Gardere, told PIX11 that officers and other emergency responders have much high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression because of the situations they see in their line of work. "I think the trigger for the last few suicides that we have seen, I believe there may have been some pre-existing issues, especially around depression and PTSD," he said. "They don't debrief enough and over time that builds up a lot of emotional issue, first responders have a tremendously stressful life with regard to what they do for a living. ow you add in another stressor, retirement or messy divorce or grieving the loss of a loved one that that may push them over the edge."

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

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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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