Posted on 12/10/2005 11:40:46 AM PST by KeyLargo
NYC police officer killed; 'Sopranos' actor ID'd as a suspect AP
December 10, 2005 New York - An off-duty police officer was killed Saturday in a gunfight with two burglars outside his home, and authorities said an actor from "The Sopranos" was a suspect. Daniel Enchautegui, 28, a three-year veteran, was pronounced dead at a hospital following the 5:15 a.m. shooting, said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
He was the second officer to die in the line of duty in two weeks.
"This is a loss to the department and the city," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who joined Kelly at the hospital. "We now have another life to mourn, taken from us for no sensible reason."
The officer had returned to his Bronx home after finishing a late shift when he heard breaking glass in an unoccupied house next door, Kelly said. The officer first called his landlord, then called 911 to report a possible burglary.
The officer grabbed his off-duty weapon and went outside to investigate. His landlord heard Enchautegui shout, "Police! Don't move!", followed by the sound of gunfire, Kelly said.
The officer was struck once in the chest with a bullet from a .357-caliber revolver. Before collapsing in the driveway of the home, he returned fire and struck both of the suspects -- one was hit twice, the other four times.
One of the suspects was identified by police as Lillo Brancato Jr., an actor who also appeared in several episodes of "The Sopranos" as Matt Bevilacqua, a mob wannabe who eventually was murdered. He made his debut in the Robert De Niro-directed film "A Bronx Tale" back in 1993.
Brancato was arrested in June for criminal possession of a controlled substance.
A police car on routine patrol arrested Brancato as he was getting into a car, police said. The second suspect, Steven Armento, was arrested as he ran from the scene. Police identified Armento as the gunman.
Both men were taken into custody without incident and were in serious condition, Kelly said.
Although police were initially using dogs and a helicopter to search for other suspects, Kelly said it appeared only the two wounded men were involved. Subway trains were stopped for several hours as the search continued.
Another officer was shot on Nov. 28 during a car chase in Brooklyn and killed by a bullet that missed his protective vest.
A suspect in that shooting was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in a separate shooting that wounded another officer earlier in November.
On Tuesday, two state troopers were wounded and a drug suspect was killed when shots were fired during a raid in the Bronx.
Math is not my strong point, is it?
You just need my tagline is all, best excuse there is when called on the carpet.
Another child-star gone nutz (Brancato was 16 when he made the horribly over-rated "A Bronx Tale").
Guns are illegal in NYC, wherever did they get them.
I miss the Sopranos. I don't know what I'm going to do when it ends!
It was a great film, too.
He had more of a receding hairline than his "father" did.
I agree completely.
I did ask the moderator to remove my post. No offense was meant. He is now a cop-killer and deserves swift justice. See FReepmail.
NYC police officer killed; 'Sopranos' actor ID'd as a suspect
-----If he is guilty, watch all the hollywood nut jobs come out and support him.
"Wow! They use authentic hoods in the Sopranos"
Actually they do. I think the guy with the very white temples was a felon. I could be wrong in the identity, but one of cast is.
Yep, and when Tony found out he took him to some isolated location, offered him a soft drink, watched the liquid go in one end and out the other, and then whacked him.
Lillo Brancato
Sometimes Credited As:
Lillo Brancato Jr.
Actor - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s)
Notable TV Guest Appearances
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000969/
Life imitates art.
Glassine bags? Glassine is still used for something in this ziploc age?
"...that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer." --Justice Sutherland
Hopefully this the last for a long time...
When you read this MSM headline from AP you would not know that this punk murdered a police officer. I really hate the MSM.
Ex-Sopranos Actor Shot By Police
NBC5 Entertainment
POSTED: 9:29 pm CST December 10, 2005
NEW YORK -- A young New York City police officer, dying from a bullet wound in his chest, somehow managed to steady his gun and shoot two burglars.
One of the wounded suspects, who police allege were breaking into a vacant house in the Bronx, has been identified as 29-year old actor Lillo Brancato, Jr. He's hospitalized in critical condition. The other man is in serious condition.
Brancato, who police said was unarmed, has appeared in more than a dozen feature films. He got his break playing a confused teen in the Robert De Niro-directed film "A Bronx Tale" in 1993. He also had roles in "Renaissance Man" and "Crimson Tide."
Brancato played doomed mob wannabe Matt Bevilacqua during the 1999-2000 season of "The Sopranos."
He was arrested in June on charges of heroin possession.
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