Lamont Pride, the 27-year-old man accused of shooting 22-year NYPD veteran Peter Figoski fatally in the face yesterday, shouldn't have been in New York City. He should have been in North Carolina where he is wanted on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault. But because of legal snafus regarding extradition he was left free in New York after the NYPD picked him up not just once but twice since September. And now Officer Figoski's four daughters don't have a father.
The NYPD "did call us in September," Greenboro Police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen says. "But the warrants, unbeknownst to us, did not have extradition orders on them." And they didn't exactly rush the paperwork, so Pride, who had been picked up on misdemeanor charges of carrying a knife, pleaded guilty and walked away. He was then picked up again for crack cocaine and marijuana drug charges on November 3rd. On November 4th a Brooklyn judge freed him on his own recognizance (though the prosecutor asked for a bail of $2,500). Finally, on November 8th, North Carolina changed their warrant for him to allow for extradition from New York. But Pride "was in the wind by then," according to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.
Pride was not the only man at the scene of the home invasion that led to Figoski's death. There is currently a $10,000 reward being offered for information that helps lead to the arrest and conviction of the second suspect, described by police as being 24-30 years old with black hair. Police released a surveillance video taken of the man they want to question, above (anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-COP-SHOT), and this morning, it was reported that the police arrested four more people: "Those suspects -- including one caught on a surveillance camera moments after the shooting Monday, as well as a getaway driver and two suspects who posed as "concerned neighbors" following the shooting -- are being held pending charges," Newsday reports.
The NYPD, the city and the family and friends of Officer Figoski mourns a hero. Figoski, the second-most senior member of the 75th Precinct, spent his entire career in the troubled area (the 75th leads the city in robberies) earning 12 department commendations and making 209 arrests—nearly half on felony charges. Though he could have retired two years ago with a full pension, he chose to stay on the force. Working night shifts but making sure to get back home to Long Island to take his daughters to school. According to the Times, he and his wife "filed for divorce in 2009; it became final in October. Officer Figoski’s daughters lived with him."
