Pubdate: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 Source: Newsday (NY) Copyright: 2002 Newsday Inc. Contact: http://www.newsday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308 Author: Samuel Bruchey Note: Staff writers Sumathi Reddy and Ann Givens contributed to this story Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) COP KILLS BELLPORT MAN Suffolk Police: Accidental Shooting in Botched Drug Raid A 20-year-old Bellport man was accidentally shot to death by a Suffolk police officer Friday night during a botched raid of a suspected drug house in Bellport, police said yesterday. The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m., just after eight highly trained Emergency Service officers arrived at 862 Doane Ave. to execute a search warrant, police said. As four officers charged toward the front door, two men - Jose Colon and Aaron Hatcher, also 20 - unexpectedly came out the front door, Chief of Department Philip Robilotto said during a news conference. The lead officer, who was carrying a 9-mm submachine gun in one hand and a shield in the other, stopped short and raised his weapon, said Robilotto and Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick, commander of the Homicide Squad. As he did, a second officer, who was carrying a battering ram, tripped over a tree root and fell forward into the lead officer, causing the lead officer's weapon to discharge, Robilotto said. Colon was struck once in the left side of the head. The other two bullets struck the side of the house. Colon was worked on by paramedics outside the house, then transported to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead yesterday morning. "I am here to offer my condolences to the family," Robilotto said. "It was a tragedy. It was an accident." Colon's family declined to comment. Police declined to identify any of the officers, but Newsday has learned the officer whose weapon discharged is 14-year veteran Tony Gonzalez, who has spent seven years in the elite Emergency Services unit and is under consideration for detective. The shooting was the first accidental death by an Emergency Services officer, Robilotto said. The unit executes hundreds of warrants each year much like SWAT teams, and requires weapons training at least once a month. The officer's weapon holds a magazine of 30 rounds but was set to fire three rounds with a single squeeze of the trigger. All three shots were fired from about 20 feet away as Colon and Hatcher stood atop the three concrete steps outside the house. Seconds before the deadly mishap, police said they instructed Colon and Hatcher to drop to the ground and show their hands. Hatcher complied but Colon remained on his feet, police said. "He was asked a number of times 'Show your hands, drop to the floor.' He didn't and that's when the accident occurred," Fitzpatrick said. Colon was not armed and had no illegal drugs in his possession, police said. Numerous neighbors and friends of Colon were outraged by the shooting and doubted Colon's death was accidental. "If this was in Deer Park, they would be negotiating, they would be using a bullhorn and calling on people to surrender," said one man who said Colon was his nephew by marriage but declined to give his name. Lonnie Holmes, 26, said Colon visited the house Friday night to repay a debt before going to dinner with his girlfriend. As Colon's girlfriend waited inside the car parked out front, Colon entered the house. It was only a matter of minutes, Holmes said, before police arrived. Police said they recovered between 8 ounces and one pound of marijuana and a loaded semi-automatic rifle from the house. Arrested on second-degree possession of marijuana were Hatcher, William Holloway, 34, Romell May, 24, and Wendell Mabry, 30, all of Bellport, police said. Hatcher also was charged with possession of a weapon, police said. All are being held for arraignment today in First District Court in Central Islip. Police do not believe anyone was living in the house. According to property records, Ervin Motley of Huntington Station sold the Bellport property to Spring Equities NY Inc. in February 2000. District Attorney Thomas Spota confirmed that his office executed a search warrant Friday night at the Bellport house, where they suspected weapons and illegal drug activity. Colon was a member of the Victory Church of God in Bellport, where his uncle served as pastor and where his father works the audio system. Colon had graduated from Bellmore High School. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex