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.

[newwahoo]

"The fact remains that an innocent lady is dead because some testosterone pumped rambo incompetents knocked a 57 year old lady around after blasting their way into her apartment...."

The same "rambo incompetents" in ESU also sustained the heaviest losses of any NYPD unit during 9-11. Were there tragic mistakes made? Yes. Incompetent? I think not.

[A CA Guy]

There are people who rape and will always rape, so we should just let them rape seems to be the logic used to argue not enforcing certain laws on this board by mostly Libertarians.
It's illogical to me, but I'm not the one on the board suggesting we should make all self dosing legal on this board.
I for one consider a person like yourself who goes out there to defend us at a cost of your own safety at times to be a hero to us.
But make a drug bust and let a Libertarian know it and they may pray for your early death.
I don't get the love of illegal drugs they have, I can only assume there is a lot of users or dealers among those in that party.
I for one will tonight keep you, a hero police officer, in my prayers that God blesses you and keeps His umbrella of protection around you.
God Bless your service to our country. We are blessed as a people to have you.

[asneditor]

Drugs didn't cause this death, prohibition idiots like you are to blame. Shame Shame on stuck up folks like you who have nothing better to do with their lives other than sticking the noses into the business of what someone else does with their own body. Sounds to me like you may well be on crack!

[A CA Guy]

You show promise by the fact that you recognise your problems.
Good for you.

[newwahoo]

Let's get back to this unfortunate lady and the NYPD. My problem with all this is that there apparently are no consequences whatsoever for the NYPD. "We're sorry" -- that's it?

Where's the review board? Where's the televised hearing? Where are the pointed and uncomfortable questions being posed to those in charge of this fiasco while they sweat and squirm in their seats? Where's the recommendations for changed procedures to prevent something like this from happening again?

Mistakes like this might just be forgivable. Mistakes like this that we fail to learn from, that we fail to even care to learn from, are not."

Don't worry, its all in the works. Sharpton is beating the drums already and the Lt. is on desk duty and will be facing a department trial.

[jayef]

You are so right. I'm ready! I have seen the light.

As Winston would say "Do it to her. Do it to her."

I'll fire the bullet. Any old ladies who need killin' . . . just sign me up.

[A CA Guy]

Bunk, the criminals which caused the officers to come there are the problems and will have her death be added to their charges.
Your right to what you do with your body is limited, not unconditional.
You don't have any "right" to self-medicate illegal drugs.

[A CA Guy]

The only Winston that comes to my mind is Churchill who said,
"If you are young and are not liberal, you have no heart. If you are an adult and are not conservative, you have no mind"

[asneditor]

Your philosophy comes right out of the friggen hitler handbook sounds like to me. Who in the hell do you think you are to say what I do with my body is limited and unconditional? I bet you march in lock-step with all the jack booted thugs don't you?
I bet you would be one of the first people to scream bloody murder if these guys stormed into your house and killed your wife. This country has plenty of hypocrits just like you, thats why we have this war on the american people under the guise of protecting us from ourselves.

[newwahoo]

"All I wish is that everyone here could express some measure of compassion for the victim and demonstrate some outrage at the police brutality"

I feel bad for the victim and her family. I also feel bad for those soon to be caught up in the charges of "police brutality" being made by Fat Al Sharpton and yourself. A tragic mistake does not equal deliberate brutality.

[A CA Guy]

The story further down stated that this was the only accidental death our of 1900 entries and this woman has a pre-existing condition for a fatal heart attack.
Granted they should review this to see if things could get even better, but by what I read, they do pretty darn good.
I figure if they stopped this kind of entry and enforcement of the law, thousands more would be dead by people who would have killed, been killed or over-dosed. Do it is a tragedy, but to lose hundreds or thousands of others by stopping is no answer.

[asneditor]

The "criminals" will have more charges added"

I think you should be charged with treason right along with the thugs for violating and helping to destroy the Constitution of the United States of America. You know what that is right?

[newwahoo]

"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."

Especially considering the reliability of the sources. CI's, confidential informants, are usually scumbags themselves...

[A CA Guy]

Where the line changes is also drawn by the laws created by our elected officials that were voted in by our Democratic Republic. I think laws seems to be more restrictive where ever the population is denser. That is what I notice.

But if you think (as an exapmle) that you should have the right to stick a needle in your arm and run around naked while sodomizing your dead dog outside naked under the moonlight, I would suggest you do it where people can't see.
On an island, few could know.
If you choose to live near people, you more closely have to follow the laws of the land.

[newwahoo]

"You and the officers involved can go down to the bar and have a few drinks to celebrate your victory in the war on drugs."

If you really think that the officers did that and were not trying to save her you really are as ignorant as you sound. Have fun on DU.

[A CA Guy]

You are of course correct, but the other issue you can note here is that when faced with the positive facts for the department, the illegal-drug-worshipers on this thread dismiss them all out of hand because it doesn't serve their cause to legalize their favorite vice. They are total hypocrites IMO!

[A CA Guy]

Meanwhile your invalid interpetation for the cause to legalize vice turns the Constitution into used toilet paper.

[newwahoo]

"Then prove to me that there would be more users and more death if the police were not as 'proactive'."

Pre-Giuliani there were almost 2000 dead a year in NYC. Now we have about 5-600. Proactive policing at work. Wanna go back to the "good old days"?

[A CA Guy]

Yes, I read DU at times to see what the enemy is up to and there are bunch there who both push illegal drug use and claim to post regularly here to disrupt.
I often hear the defense of illegal drug usage here along with other vices and figure since they are not Conservative, they could be likely disputers from DU! Exactly correct.