March and April cops of the month honored at the 76th Precinct
Three cops received top honors in their precinct — the 76th Precinct, in Red Hook, Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill — for March and April for their work in stopping an attack by a man with a knife and in finding a long-lost bike.
The March honorees were police officers Daniel Loffredo and Keith DSouza, who, on March 22, responded to a call at 541 Court Street, where a 53-year-old man had been stabbed in the shoulder, reportedly by his 28-year-old roommate, who had already fled. As the officers prepared to search for the suspect, he arrived, knife in hand, and allegedly ignored orders to drop his weapon, instead “lunging” at Officer Loffredo, who refused to shoot and fell backwards to avoid the knife. However, when the suspect allegedly lunged again, this time at Officer DSouza, he was shot and later died.
Captain Jeffrey Schiff, commanding officer of the 76th Precinct, praised the officers’ restraint in not firing until beyond “the last minute.”