Police Storm Wrong Apartment, Resident Dies of Heart Attack

WABC News NYC ^ | May 16, 2003 | Art McFarland

[Unknown Freeper]

(Harlem-WABC, May 16, 2003) — Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.

Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.

What happened at 310 W. 143rd Street was meant to be the end result of a drug investigation based on confidential information from a police informant. But it is now among the most tragic errors of the NYPD.

Lucille Ross, Building Resident: "She was such a lovely person. If something was to happen with her like this, I want to know why."

The search warrant was apparently issued for apartment 6F in the multi-unit building. It was the home of Alberta Spruill.

Today Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said it was based on what investigators thought was reliable information. But it all turned out to be a terrible mistake.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly: "Entry was made by officers from our Emergency Services Unit who used a flash grenade during that entry. Once inside the officers found the occupant, a 57-year-old woman, identified as Alberta Spruill. She was briefly handcuffed while police conducted a cursory search of the apartment. The patrol captain then entered, and saw that the apartment did not match the description given by the informant, and immediately ordered that the handcuffs be removed."

The commissioner said Ms. Spruill soon told officers she had a heart condition, and then complained of chest pains. EMS was called to the scene and administered aid. But Ms. Spruill died a short time later at Harlem Hospital.

Commissioner Ray Kelly: "On behalf of the entire New York City Police Department, I want to offer my condolences and sympathy to the family of Alberta Spruill. I also want to offer my apology. This is indeed a profound tragedy."

Calvin Alston, Building Resident: "We're all just devestated. Really devestated. Because this is a woman that got up and went to church every day ... went to work every day. And we're all just devestated that this would happen to someone like this."

Police Commissioner Kelly did say a "flash grenade" was used at apartment 6F before officers entered. It may be the use of that flash grenade broke procedure. The ESU lieutenant who used it is now on administrative leave pending the investigation. Those grenades have been used 85 times this year.

And NYPD tells us only four mistakes out of 1,900 search warrants have been made this year. The investigation of this tragedy continues.

[Chemist_Geek]

do you have the stats on pot deaths or say cocaine or herion?

Of course, in the stoner druggies' wet dream America where all drugs are legalized, there would never, ever be any deaths or injuries from overdoses or drug-induced industrial or vehicle accidents or lazy stoners' armed robberies of honest citizens or children abused or neglected by drug-addled stoner parents...

Nope, in the stoner druggies' wet dream America, we'd all take a toke and sing Kum-By-Ah...

[Badray]

"Posted to *bang_list"

Shouldn't that be the *bong_list?

[A CA Guy]

Law enforcement officers are goons to you and we have been hit (according to you) on the head too many times...

Have you a clue how anti-conservative and foolish you sound here.

The fact is that the illegal drug person's breaking of the law is what brought enforcement there. They are the reason any officers were near the woman to make that mistake in the first place.

The fact that some might try and use this as a foil for the trying to legalize addiction is amazing to me.

[TLBSHOW]

that was a heck of an answer......

nothing like side stepping the facts

[A CA Guy]

Her health got to her under that stressful time. They did not carry out a use of deadly force on her. So it goes back to her being a sickly person.

When ever an officer is in the course of their duties and an innopcent gets harmed or killed while chasing the bad guy, it goes on the charges of that bad guy because they are the reason the situation ever had a chance to become a mistaken one.

No doubt though that there needs to be an investigation as to how they got in there accidentally.

It was a tragic end. Thank God the right thing almost always happens, because if it didn't these stories would pop up on FR more than just 4-5 times a year.

[A CA Guy]

Somebody is responsible for going through the wrong door, but no deadly use of force was used. The results of her being dead had to (as far as we know) been due to complications from poor health.
If the same thing happened to a healthy 57 year old we'd have no story.

There is no evidence of brutality against her either that I have read here.

[TLBSHOW]

smashed in her door, flash bomb? and slammed to the floor and cuffed. Nah no terror there.....

[A CA Guy]

Are you going to say the officers usedg an outright use of deadly force on that woman, because nobody seems to say that?
If not, there were other conditions regarding her health ALREADY that had what happened result in death.
The most obvious cause would be poor health.

It is tragic though and the way this all happened needs to be investigated.

You come back at me if you find the police used a deadly level of force, OK?

[TLBSHOW]

Police smashed down an apartment door and used a flash grenade in their search for a potentially dangerous suspect. But it was the wrong apartment, and the woman who lived inside is now dead after suffering a heart attack.

[A CA Guy]

Here's the rest of the info from the news page:

z'The commissioner said Ms. Spruill soon told officers she had a heart condition, and then complained of chest pains. EMS was called to the scene and administered aid. But Ms. Spruill died a short time later at Harlem Hospital."

So my deductions from #14 were accurate then.

[Chemist_Geek]

nothing like side stepping the facts

You, of all people, ought to know about that, TLBSHOW...

The facts are that without the enforcement efforts currently in place, the number of even just drug overdose deaths alone (not even counting deaths in accidents caused by stoned drivers, or industrial accidents caused by stoners, or deaths of children neglected by stoners, or innocents harmed by lazy stoners robbing them) would be orders of magnitude higher than what they are today.

[A CA Guy]

Also said in the story that out of 1900 warrants there were only 4 incorrect homes gone into.
Since they don't kill first and ask questions later, this was a tragic and very rare event.

That is an error rate of 1/20th of 1% by the way.

Sounds like a pretty good record to me where humans are involved.

[justshe]

Feel better?

[A CA Guy]

I take that back, 1/5th of 1% error rate, but that is not bad either.

[A CA Guy]

Not old, sick! Yes, it is sad, but extremely rare.

4 out of 1900 regarding a mistake of being at the wrong place.

That is 1/5th of 1%, an impressive lack of error were you have humans involved.

[Oztrich Boy]

As has been picked up by most posters, and acknowleged by the Senator, he was being sarcastic.

The Senator is a good guy, not a pervert like A_CA_Guy

[A CA Guy]

She had a long term week heart, not a drug habit.

[A CA Guy]

I didn't suggest the woman was on drugs, but I was right about her having a pre-existing condition ...thank you very much.

[ActionNewsBill]

Her health got to her under that stressful time. They did not carry out a use of deadly force on her. So it goes back to her being a sickly person.

You keep posting the same lies, and I have yet to see you post any information from the article or anywhere else that would back up your groundless claims.

Face the facts, she died at the hands of cops who were either incompetent, negligent or downright criminal. Take your pick.

Of course there is enough blame leftover for the real villians in this story...those that excuse and applaud this action on the part of law enforcement, and those who view this woman's death as necessary in the jihad on drugs.