A teen who set a Coney Island housing project ablaze was indicted today for second degree murder, after an NYPD officer died attempting to reach the source of the 13th floor conflagration.
16-year old Marcell Dockery reportedly decided to set fire to a mattress in the Surf Avenue NYCHA building on Sunday because he was "bored," explaining to police later that he "saw the mattress catch fire and tried to blow out the flames." Officers Dennis Guerra and Rosa Rodriguez responded to the arson, but were overcome by smoke in the building's elevators. Both were hospitalized, and on Wednesday, Guerra died from his injuries. Rodriguez remains in the burn unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.
“The senseless act of setting that fire tragically led to the death of NYPD Officer Dennis Guerra. His partner Officer Rosa Rodriguez suffered critical injuries. Both dedicated and courageous officers did not hesitate to risk their lives to save others," said Kings County District Attorney Kevin Thompson. "We will bring the Defendant to justice for these terrible and horrific crimes.”
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has defended the actions of the responding officers. An FDNY training manual [PDF] recommends not using elevators if a fire is reported on the 7th floor or lower. The fire in this incident was on the 13th floor, and Rodriguez and Guerra took the elevator.
WCBS 880 reports, "New York City doesn’t have any protocols in place for police entering a burning building," and Bratton said, "We have determined the department has not, does not have, and has not had any policies specific to this issue of going into buildings and utilization of elevators."
He noted that "it is a policy deficiency not unique to New York City," and added that a check with London, Los Angeles, and most other major cities revealed they do not have police department policy or training to address the issue either.
