Cop Shooter Faces Angry Victim

Jose Rivera, who shot at a car full of undercover cops, hitting one of them, was sentenced to 16 years in jail. In February, while driving in Park Slope-Prospect Heights, Rivera thought that the cops were giving him a dirty looks and yelled at them, "You got a beef?" and then fired. The police fired back and later, Rivera's police officer wife seemed to try to cover up the shooting by parking their bullet-ridden car far from their home.

The police officer who was shot, Andrew Suarez, gave a victim's impact statement, saying, "Your true judgment day will come when your life expires from this Earth and you will be judged by God, and when he asks you to explain what you've done, you will be sent straight to hell. And you won't be alone - you'll be accompanied by your wife, who helped you commit this heinous crime."

Rivera originally faced 25 years for the attempted murder of a police officer, but Suarez agreed to a plea deal with a lesser sentence. Apparently the judge believed that Rivera truly did not believe he was shooting at a car full of cops. Rivera's wife, Jacqueline Melendez-Rivera, still awaits trial; Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch called her a "criminal and a mope" for betraying a brother.

Perceptions and emotional reactions while driving also play into this week's road rage killing of an unarmed man by a police officer. The incident is now raises questions about the off-duty drinking habits of police officers.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 26, 2007 9:49 AM

Comments [rss]

sil237k

bull i believe she knew what was going on , a good wife , i do not think she is as inocent as people say she is . she is my half sister, i am older, my father jose melendez died and i was told by my sibblings she had her part in it. how do u think she got that building, my father had 7 nature children that were his blood, she is evil, greedy, did never want to share or have anything to do with her siblings she wanted it all.want to know more contact me sil237k@yahoo.com

Spirit of 76

"Apparently the judge believed that Rivera truly did not believe he was shooting at a car full of cops."

Uh, what? What difference does it make? It is unacceptable to shoot at a car full of anybody just because they're giving you a dirty look! Damn crazy judges nowadays.

bklynd

"Apparently the judge believed that Rivera truly did not believe he was shooting at a car full of cops."

Huh. I assumed that the shooting was personal, that the guy knew the cops through his wife.

zodak

the point is the nypd is just another gang, running around shooting people & causing trouble instead of, as jibbly points out, doing their job when they're supposed to.

& that Jacqueline Melendez-Rivera is a good wifey.

jibbly

Where was an ON duty cop to shoot that maniac?

jtg

Snoopy, your remember the off duty cop that shot that maniac on the random stabbing spree in Midtown a couple weeks ago?

Snoopy

But it's OK for an off duty cop to shoot an individual that points a finger at them? Give me a break. Cops should be required to leave their weapons at their precinct when they go off duty.

jibbly

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch called her a "criminal and a mope" for betraying a brother.

She was dumb, but this statement is even dumber.