Another Sad Day

Another Central New York police officer has been murdered.

Authorities in Utica were searching Friday morning for one or more individuals in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer during a traffic stop Thursday night. Officer Thomas Lindsey, 32, was shot around 9:20 p.m. and was pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth Medical Center.

Details are still sketchy, but from what I heard, another police cruiser checked on him shortly before the shooting and Officer Lindsey stated that he was all set. Although he was clad in body armor, he was shot in the head. A massive manhunt is underway for two suspects.

Officials said Lindsey, a former Marine, joined the Utica Police Department on Oct. 8, 2001. His death was the second fatal shooting of a Utica-area police officer in a little more than a year. In late February 2006, Officer Joseph Corr of the police department in the nearby town of New Hartford was shot to death while chasing suspects in a jewelry store robbery.

Officer Lindsey was unmarried and had no children.

Ours has always been a dangerous profession. New York State has a death penalty but the liberal State Supreme Court refuses to allow anyone to be executed. They just know better don'cha know. Meanwhile, hoodlums feel free to bang away at anyone wearing a badge because the worst thing that can happen is a long stretch in jail.

Hopefully the suspect will be brought to justice in a body bag.

UPDATE: Details are still somewhat sketchy, but there may have have been other people in the vehicle that Officer Lindsey stopped. It appears that police are still seeking multiple suspects.

Lindsey is the first city police officer killed while on duty since John Creedon was fatally wounded with a .35-caliber Colt pistol in 1916. Pylman said he had no idea what prompted Thursday night's shooting and said no weapon had been found.

Pylman said the FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for the arrest of suspects responsible for Lindsey's death. Police impounded the vehicle Lindsey stopped, a Dodge Neon, which was found a few blocks from the scene of the shooting. Two women were taken into custody and later released, Pylman said.

The chief said a child also was found in the vehicle, which was taken to a state police lab in Albany for forensic testing.

I don't think that the idiot reporter who wrote this story meant to infer that the kid is being dusted for prints by forensic examiners. The brushes tickle too much.