Sergeant Paul J. Tuozzolo

Paul J. Tuozzolo

Sergeant Paul Tuozzolo was shot and killed after he and another officer located a suspect who had just held his estranged wife and her family hostage for several hours.

At approximately 2:45 pm, the man broke into his estranged wife's home in the Bronx. The man told his estranged wife that he was planning to engage in a shootout with the police during the ordeal. He eventually fled in a vehicle after the victim was able to call 911. Sergeant Tuozzolo and other officers were canvassing the area for the vehicle when they located it at Bronx River Avenue and Noble Avenue.

Officers boxed the vehicle in. As Sergeant Tuozzolo and another sergeant exited their patrol cars, the subject opened fire with a .45 caliber handgun. Sergeant Tuozzolo was struck in the head and killed, and a second sergeant was struck in the leg. Before being hit in the head, Sergeant Tuozzolo yelled "gun," which the other officer credited with saving his life. Other officers at the scene returned fire, killing the suspect. The suspect had a lengthy criminal history and had been deported twice.

Sergeant Tuozzolo had served with the New York City Police Department for 19 years and was assigned to the 43rd Precinct. He is survived by his wife and two young sons.

Sergeant Tuozzolo was posthumously promoted to Sergeant Special Assignment. On June 16, 2017, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The Sergeant Paul Tuozzolo Memorial Park was opened in Bayville on September 18, 2017. On July 11, 2018, Sergeant Paul Tuozzolo Spray Park opened in Huntington. As of 2024, it is the only spray park in the United States dedicated to an agency and fallen law enforcement officer.