Cop killer said he was ‘going to be famous’
Cop killer said he was ‘going to be famous’
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — A gunman who killed a rookie officer responding to a report of an armed robbery at a drugstore early Sunday never tried to rob the store and instead lay in wait for police, telling a witness to watch the news because he was “going to be famous,” authorities said.
Lawrence Campbell shot Officer Melvin Santiago in the head shortly after he and his partner arrived at the 24-hour Walgreens at around 4 a.m., Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said. Other officers returned fire at Campbell, killing him.
Campbell, 27, of Jersey City, was one of three suspects wanted by police for a prior homicide, Fulop said.
Fulop said Campbell was carrying a knife when he walked into Walgreens and asked for directions to the greeting card aisle. He assaulted an armed security guard at the store and snatched his gun, Fulop said.
According to Fulop, Campbell approached a witness and apologized for his conduct, then said to watch the news later because he was “going to be famous,” then waited for officers to arrive and shot Santiago with what police believe was the guard’s weapon.
“Today was a horrible day for Jersey City,” Fulop said.
Dozens of officers stood single file at the entrance of the hospital and saluted as Santiago’s flag-draped body was carried into an ambulance. A handful of younger officers consoled one another as they walked away. Santiago, 23, graduated from the police academy in December.
Fulop was there when Santiago’s body arrived at the hospital. As Santiago’s mother identified the body, Fulop said, she “just keep repeating the badge number and saying that it’s not possible.”
Santiago is the first Jersey City officer killed in the line of duty since Detective Marc DiNardo died in July 2009 during a raid on an apartment while searching for suspects in a robbery.
“It is a tragic situation when any officer is killed in the line of duty,” Fulop said.
“Melvin was an officer who represented everything one would want to see in a police officer. I know the entire city’s thoughts and prayers are with the Santiago family during this difficult time and we mourn together.”
Jean Belviso, who has been delivering newspapers for 10 years, was driving through the Walgreens parking lot when she said saw a man wearing burgundy sweatpants and a baseball cap walk out of the store. A police cruiser pulled up in front of Walgreens, and the suspect began shooting, the 61-year-old Belviso said.
“We thought he was running, coming toward us,” said Belviso, who was riding along with a friend. “He kept on shooting.”
Bullets flew through the cruiser’s windshield, 13 in all. The suspect was shot multiple times, and officers slapped handcuffs on him, Belviso said.
Campbell’s body remained on the ground next to the bullet-riddled cruiser for more than five hours after the shooting before it was placed in a coroner’s van and taken away.
Markeisha Marshall, a spokeswoman for Walgreens, said the company was “deeply regretful” over the officer’s death and extended its sympathies to his family and friends. The store has round-the-clock armed security, Marshall noted.
Police are also searching for another man who they believe was involved in the previous homicide with Campbell, Fulop said. They have been aggressively seeking Daniel Wilson for the last three days, Fulop said.
The Jersey City Police Benevolent Association said in a statement that their hearts were heavy over Santiago’s death.
“Patrolman Santiago knew the risks associated with this job, yet he put himself in front of danger in order to keep Jersey City safe,” the association said. “Words cannot adequately express our feelings about this senseless tragedy.”
The officer’s stepfather, Alex McBride, said Santiago was “very proud” to be a police officer, following in the footsteps of his uncle. McBride said he had been in Santiago’s life for 14 years, noting that his stepson had wanted to be a police officer since playing the “Call of Duty” video game.
“Melvin was the best kid,” he said, choking up as he sat hunched over on a plastic crate in an alley outside the family’s apartment. “I watched him graduate from high school. He joined every sport, everything. He never did no harm to nobody. And he was full of life.”
Gary Nahrwold, 24, recalled his friend Santiago first saying a decade ago that he wanted to become a police officer. Nahrwold also hopes to join the force and said he won’t be discouraged by Santiago’s slaying.
“It just gives me more purpose to do it,” he said. “I’m not going to be deterred by some senseless crimes.”
Sheriff: Bus was hit by stolen car going wrong way
RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — A car that collided with a Greyhound bus on an Indiana highway, killing the car’s driver and injuring 19 people on the bus, had just been stolen and was headed in the wrong direction, authorities said.
Phillip Lloyd, the driver of the stolen 1999 Ford Mustang, died at the scene of the Sunday morning collision on Interstate 70 near Richmond, Wayne County Sheriff Jeff Cappa said. Lloyd was from Richmond, which is about 70 miles east of Indianapolis and near the Ohio border.
“It had been reported stolen from the Love’s truck stop … just prior to the crash,” said Cappa, adding that it was unclear how Lloyd ended up going westbound in the eastbound lane. He declined to give Lloyd’s age.
The bus, which was carrying the driver and 23 passengers when it was struck, was headed from St. Louis to New York City. It also was scheduled to stop in Dayton, Ohio, about 35 miles east of the crash site.
Brandi Schroeder, who drove past the accident scene while returning home to Indianapolis from Ohio, said the bus ended up off the shoulder of the highway’s eastbound lane and that the other vehicle lay crushed in the inbound lane. She said that vehicle was so flattened that she couldn’t tell if it was a car or truck or even make out its wheels.
“I’ve seen a lot of accidents, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Schroeder told The Associated Press.
Most of the injured were taken to Reid Memorial Hospital in Richmond for treatment. Most had only scrapes, cuts and bruises and were soon discharged, said hospital spokesman Larry Price.
“I would describe them as walking and wounded,” Price said. “At last check it didn’t appear that we were going to have to admit someone.”
Greyhound spokeswoman Alexandria Pedrini said the driver was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, but she said she couldn’t release any information about the driver, including the nature of the driver’s injuries.
Two new buses were dispatched to Richmond for the passengers, she said.