CBP1895
01-28-2006, 06:51 AM
Cop collapses and dies
By CARRIE MELAGO,
CELESTE KATZ
and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Officer Kevin Lee was chasing a man who allegedly swiped a laptop on E. 86th St. when he collapsed and died.
A suspect in the officer chase on E. 86th St. is brought into the 19th Precinct by a cop.
A strapping 31-year-old-cop dropped dead last night after chasing and tussling with a bandit who had just swiped a laptop computer from a Lexington Ave. shop, police said.
Plainclothes officer Kevin Lee, 31, part of an elite grand larceny squad, collapsed on E. 86th St. at the height of rush hour, witnesses said.
"He was just shaking and he looked like he was getting a seizure," said Jackson de la Cruz, 22, who stepped out of a shoe store to find worried cops standing over the officer.
"He was shaking with his eyes closed," de la Cruz said. "They were like, 'Are you there? Are you there?' and he didn't open his eyes."
Detective Yanti Greene managed to revive Lee at the scene about 6:20 p.m. before cops rushed him to Lenox Hill Hospital, sources said.
Doctors worked on the married father for more than an hour but could not save him.
"Tonight's events remind us once more how death can strike at any time, and in this instance, taking the young life of a police officer doing his job," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.
When Lee's body was wheeled out of the hospital hours later, his stunned colleagues stood at attention and saluted in solemn tribute.
"We'll take good care of him," Chief of Department Joseph Esposito promised. The cause of Lee's death was unknown, but officials said a heart attack or aneurysm may be to blame.
Lee, who lived in the Bronx with his wife, Erica, and 6-year-old son, Adam, had seemed to be in excellent physical condition, officials said.
"All his life, all he wanted to do was be a cop," his mother told Mayor Bloomberg at the hospital last night.
A man who identified himself as Lee's brother-in-law outside the officer's home said, "He was a good man. He had a great heart."
Lee, who racked up more than 200 arrests during his 10-year career, relished crime-solving. His dream was to earn a gold detective's shield, and he was the front-runner in his unit for a promotion, fellow cops said.
His death was a grim end to a fairly routine police operation that involved Lee and three other cops tailing a suspicious trio as they cased stores along Lexington Ave.
The suspects entered a shop called Snappy Auctions.com, which runs eBay auctions, and left within minutes, police said.
When they emerged, one of the cops ducked inside and discovered that a laptop computer had been stolen. The cop then radioed the rest of the team.
Lee and his fellow officers began chasing the three men east on 86th St., where they caught up to one suspect.
A brief struggle broke out as Lee tried to arrest the alleged thief. Then the young cop fell to the ground, officials said.
Two suspects were arrested, Lorenzo Walter, 18, and Julio Marquez, 19, both of Brooklyn. Charges were pending.
Walter has 11 prior arrests for burglary and disorderly conduct. Marquez's rap sheet includes five busts, two warrants and a drug-sale conviction.
Lee was the second city cop to die in the line of duty this year. Two weeks ago, Officer Francis Hennessy, 35, of Brooklyn's 70th Precinct, collapsed from a brain aneurysm while responding to a call of an armed man.
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By CARRIE MELAGO,
CELESTE KATZ
and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Officer Kevin Lee was chasing a man who allegedly swiped a laptop on E. 86th St. when he collapsed and died.
A suspect in the officer chase on E. 86th St. is brought into the 19th Precinct by a cop.
A strapping 31-year-old-cop dropped dead last night after chasing and tussling with a bandit who had just swiped a laptop computer from a Lexington Ave. shop, police said.
Plainclothes officer Kevin Lee, 31, part of an elite grand larceny squad, collapsed on E. 86th St. at the height of rush hour, witnesses said.
"He was just shaking and he looked like he was getting a seizure," said Jackson de la Cruz, 22, who stepped out of a shoe store to find worried cops standing over the officer.
"He was shaking with his eyes closed," de la Cruz said. "They were like, 'Are you there? Are you there?' and he didn't open his eyes."
Detective Yanti Greene managed to revive Lee at the scene about 6:20 p.m. before cops rushed him to Lenox Hill Hospital, sources said.
Doctors worked on the married father for more than an hour but could not save him.
"Tonight's events remind us once more how death can strike at any time, and in this instance, taking the young life of a police officer doing his job," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.
When Lee's body was wheeled out of the hospital hours later, his stunned colleagues stood at attention and saluted in solemn tribute.
"We'll take good care of him," Chief of Department Joseph Esposito promised. The cause of Lee's death was unknown, but officials said a heart attack or aneurysm may be to blame.
Lee, who lived in the Bronx with his wife, Erica, and 6-year-old son, Adam, had seemed to be in excellent physical condition, officials said.
"All his life, all he wanted to do was be a cop," his mother told Mayor Bloomberg at the hospital last night.
A man who identified himself as Lee's brother-in-law outside the officer's home said, "He was a good man. He had a great heart."
Lee, who racked up more than 200 arrests during his 10-year career, relished crime-solving. His dream was to earn a gold detective's shield, and he was the front-runner in his unit for a promotion, fellow cops said.
His death was a grim end to a fairly routine police operation that involved Lee and three other cops tailing a suspicious trio as they cased stores along Lexington Ave.
The suspects entered a shop called Snappy Auctions.com, which runs eBay auctions, and left within minutes, police said.
When they emerged, one of the cops ducked inside and discovered that a laptop computer had been stolen. The cop then radioed the rest of the team.
Lee and his fellow officers began chasing the three men east on 86th St., where they caught up to one suspect.
A brief struggle broke out as Lee tried to arrest the alleged thief. Then the young cop fell to the ground, officials said.
Two suspects were arrested, Lorenzo Walter, 18, and Julio Marquez, 19, both of Brooklyn. Charges were pending.
Walter has 11 prior arrests for burglary and disorderly conduct. Marquez's rap sheet includes five busts, two warrants and a drug-sale conviction.
Lee was the second city cop to die in the line of duty this year. Two weeks ago, Officer Francis Hennessy, 35, of Brooklyn's 70th Precinct, collapsed from a brain aneurysm while responding to a call of an armed man.
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