The funeral of the slain NYPD, Brian Mulkeen, who was reportedly killed in line of duty by misfire, was held this past Friday at Orange County, Monroe, New York. The NYC Mayor, Bill De Blasio, was in attendance, and spoke of Mulkeen’s courage and honorable call of duty.
Detective Brian Mulkeen’s Death
Detective Mulkeen and two other colleagues reported to a location around the Edenwald Houses on East 229th Street in the Bronx where there have been recent shootings and gang violence activities. They attempted to question a man who they had a probable cause to question, and who in turn fled from them. Their pursuit of the suspect, and their attempt to apprehend him led to Detective Mulkeen’s death. The suspect reportedly reached out for his gun, a .32 caliber revolver. Mulkeen’s fatal death didn’t occur from the suspect’s shooting, however, but from an accidental shooting aimed at the suspect by his colleagues during the struggle. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, and detective Mulkeen at the Hospital. Mulkeen was 33 years old, and he served the NYPD for almost 7 years.
NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio spoke at the funeral:
“But I want to say we are all feeling, also, so much pain today. We’ve all come to know what a good young man we lost, what a hero, and it hurts. It hurts all of us and we know we are laying to rest a hero. It’s something we will all carry with us going forward. We came to know his greatness. For so many of us, we only came to know that greatness and we would never see him again.
He – Brian represented the best of us, devoted to his family, devoted to his friends, devoted to his brothers and sisters in blue. And as we’ve all come to know in these last days – we’ve heard some things over and over. One of the most common statements that those who knew and loved Brian said was that if you met Brian, you fell in love instantly. He was that kind of person. The good in him was so clear, so strong. It’s something we all know that he was taken far too soon. 33 years old. But what a 33 years it was.
Here is a man who lived life to the fullest in every sense and gave so much to everyone around him. We are gathered here out of our love and our support, our need to support, our desire to support this good family. And I can tell you if you spend a few minutes with this family you understand Brian’s greatness instantly. Our hearts are with his parents, Camile and Brian; his sister, Erin; his brother, Eric; his grandpa, Charles, who was an inspiration to him in so many ways. This beautiful family filled with love, we grieve with all of us, we grieve with Brian’s girlfriend, Officer Sherry Hodge of the 4-4 Precinct.
It doesn’t make it any easier to say that you understand why Brian did what he did, what he believed in, what he cared for. It doesn’t bring him back to say that but it does honor him to recognize what he devoted his life to. And we grieve today with the entire NYPD family especially the members of the 4-7 and 4-8 Precincts and the Bronx Anti-Crime Unit. There are so many striking things about Brian but one that became clear to me so quickly was here was a young man who could have written his own ticket in life in any way he wanted – so filled with ability and promise.
And I think many people here know that first he went down a – what we might call a more conventional path. He graduated from Fordham’s business program. He went to a job at Merrill Lynch. He was going to succeed, he was going to be someone who would never have to worry about material things, but something else called to him. It turns out it was something he had been feeling much of his life but it became clear even in his early 20s that he knew something else was more important to him. And he had one of those moments of clarity that changed his life even at that young age and he asked himself what does success mean? He asked himself, how can I make a difference?
It was clear to Brian that his mission was to protect and serve others, to do something brave, to do something courageous. Many times in life, people will reach that kind of cross roads and think about what the right thing to do – what’s so striking is that Brian not only thought about it, he did it and he did it in a way that expressed all of the good in him. He could have taken an easier path. That wasn’t Brian. He wanted to be at the frontline. He wanted to protect people. He wanted to do the job that was dangerous because that’s how other people’s lives were protected and saved.
And he chose to leave that very comfortable life and he joined the NYPD and we will be forever grateful for that decision because in over six years on this force, he handled some of the toughest assignments there were and he did it because he knew how important it was. Even the night before the tragedy of his loss, Brian made an arrest in the same precinct – got a gun off the street, protected the men and women of that community. He was extraordinary.
He was extraordinary not only for his work as a police officer and a guardian, he was extraordinary because he understood that his work required his whole heart and all the compassion that was in him – and again, everyone who talks about him, talks about that compassion. There was one story you might have seen about a teenager that Brian arrested two years ago. And that could have been the end of the story. Brian did his job, justice was served but Brian felt there was more to do so he checked in with the family of this teenager frequently and he invited the young man to play basketball with him and undoubtedly changed the direction of that young man’s life.
And we’ve heard that when this teenager and his mom saw the news of Brian’s death, they were devastated as if they had lost a family member too. Think about what that says about Brian – someone he arrested came to see Brian as a role model and felt his loss so deeply. That’s who Brian was. We’re all in pain and it’s a reminder of what every single one of our officers face every day when they go on our streets. This good young man is gone. It’s a reminder of the dangers that the brave women and men of our force face every day. But we should count our blessings in this city that every day they come forward, they put their lives on the line, and they save the lives of others just as Brian did in those final moments.
Our job now is to remember Brian. Our job is to live like Brian. Our job is to be there for all the men and women of this department to do what Brian would do, to show love and compassion and strength. He was a blessing to all of us. Let us remember that in all we do. Let us always be there for the Mulkeen family and let them know that they will have our love for all their lives.
Thank you all for being here and God bless you all”