Joseph Felice and Robert
Borrelli say they will sue Officer Brendan Cronin, the city and the NYPD over
an April shooting in which Cronin shot at the two men as they sat in a car. The
cop was allegedly drunk and was off-duty. Felice was hit six times and was only
saved because Borrelli immediately drove him to the hospital, according to
accounts.
Two weekend hockey players
fired a $90 million legal slapshot Tuesday at an NYPD officer accused of
shooting at them while he was drunk.
Joseph Felice and his
teammate, Robert Borrelli, announced they intend to sue Officer Brendan Cronin,
the city and the police department for the April shooting.
“Joe and I very nearly lost
our lives when New York City Police Officer Brendan Cronin, armed and drunk,
made the decision to try to kill us by discharging his weapon at us as we sat
in my car,” an emotional Borrelli said at his lawyer’s office.
“I honestly don't know how we
survived this unprovoked ambush or why he chose to single out Joe and myself
for his vicious rampage.”
Felice, who works in finance
and plays forward for the New Rochelle Wranglers, is still recuperating from
being shot six times. So Borrelli read his statement.
“What happened to Rob and me
was a random act of violence committed by a ruthless man,” Felice wrote. “This
could have happened to anyone. I just happened to be coming home from winning a
hockey game.”
Felice still faces numerous
surgeries to repair his shoulders and arms, lawyer Randolph McLaughlin said.
“Frankly it's a miracle both men didn't die
that day,” the lawyer said.
Then, referring to Cronin,
McLaughlin added, “What was in his head?”
So far Cronin has not supplied
an answer to that question.
Frankly it's a miracle both men didn't die that day.
Assigned to the 46th Precinct
in the Bronx, Cronin was charged by Pelham police with first-degree assault. He
is now awaiting the decision of a Westchester County grand jury, which is
weighing an assault indictment against him.
Police Commissioner Bill
Bratton said Cronin has been suspended by the NYPD.
Borelli and Felice don’t know
Cronin. They were headed home when the off-duty cop, who had allegedly been
drinking earlier with other officers, pulled up to their car at a light in
Pelham and — without any warning — began blasting away, police said.
Cronin discharged all 13
rounds from his NYPD-issued gun and Felice, who was sitting in the passenger
seat, absorbed six of the bullets, police said.
Borrelli, who plays goalie on
the team, quickly drove his bleeding buddy to Montefiore Medical Center and
“made the 'save' of a lifetime,” Felice said in his statement.
Cronin was pulled over a short
time later by Pelham officers responding to 911 calls about a man driving
erratically with his car's hazard lights flashing.
A 27-year-old Yonkers
resident, Cronin told arresting officers he had no memory of firing his weapon.
He also refused to take a Breathalyzer test.