(New York - WABC, July 14, 2007) - NYPD Officer Russel Timoshenko, gravely injured in a shooting on Monday, has died. The men suspected in the incident that took his life are being held without bail.
Timoshenko had been paralyzed, suffered brain swelling and was unable to breathe on his own. His partner, Herman Yan, hit in the chest and arm but saved by his bullet-resistant vest, was released from the hospital Tuesday.
Kelly said Timoshenko died while on life support.
"The officer passed away on his own," Kelly said. "It is a very sad day for all of us."
Timoshenko's family was at his side at the time of death, and a processional of officers, including Yan, filed past the body to pay condolences.
Kings County Hospital doctor Robert Kurtz said the officer died while on life support. "The activity in his brain ceased," he said. "From the second those bullets hit, he was unable to breathe and unable to move a muscle in his body."
Two of the three men charged in the incident that took his life faced a judge Friday. Robert Ellis and Dexter Bostick were ordered held without bail at a hearing where a courtroom filled with New York's finest burst into cheers as they were led off to jail.
The two suspects did not speak or enter a plea during their appearance before state Supreme Court Justice Richard Allman, although Ellis' attorney claimed her client had not opened fire on either of police officers.
Authorities say Bostic and Ellis, both 34-year-old ex-convicts, were riding in a stolen SUV driven by a third man, Lee Woods, when police pulled the vehicle over early Monday morning in Brooklyn. As officers Herman Yan and Russel Timoshenko approached either side of the vehicle, Bostic shot Timoshenko in the face with a .45-caliber pistouspects on their way to Pennsylvania. Because the driver said he did not know the men were fugitives, he will not be charged.
Police say the .45-caliber pistol used to shoot Officer Timoshenko had been fired in a separate incident in the day before. The weapon was reportedly used in a drive-by shooting in Queens. Investigators are now looking into other unsolved robberies and shootings to see if the three suspects were involved.
"You take a look at the rap sheets for these three guys and you start shaking your head," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "Clearly, we should be taking a look and seeing whether or not some people don't deserve longer sentences, in nothing else than to protect the public." More Information on the Shot Officers:
Officer Herman Yan
26 years old
Three years with NYPD
Lives in Brooklyn
Has made 36 arrests
Injuries: He was shot in the chest and forearm, his life was believed to be saved by his vest.
Officer Russel Timoshenko
23 years old
Joined NYPD last January
Lives in Staten Island
Has made 15 arrests, three of them felonies
Injuries: He was shot in the face and neck, and remains in grave condition. Officer Timoshenko was pronounced dead today.
This was such a sad story. I was really really hoping he'd pull through, by some miracle. This article is when he died but his funeral was today. RIP to a true hero.
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