An NYPD officer who was shot in Brooklyn more than three decades ago has died after spending those years in a coma, the NYPD confirmed on Sunday.
Troy Patterson was off duty and washing his car on Jan. 16,1990 when the deadly incident unfolded in Bedford-Stuyvesant near his home. Just 27-years-old at the time, the hero cop was preyed upon by three armed criminals, two of whom were teenagers at the time of the attack. The trio reportedly demanded $20 as they wrestled with the officer before the robbery went bad and Patterson was shot in the head.
Spending the preceding decades in a coma and doted upon by his family, Patterson succumbed to his injuries at age 60 while inside a New Jersey rehabilitation center having never woken after that fateful winter day. News of the loss sent the police department into mourning.
“In 1990, Detective Troy Patterson was shot during a robbery in Brooklyn, and catastrophically injured. Last night, Detective Patterson passed away. The NYPD mourns his loss and extends our continued support to his family & friends,” NYPD top cop Keechant Sewell wrote on Twitter Sunday afternoon.
“Detective Troy Patterson was a hero of New York City, who inspired hundreds of fellow Detectives to continue his courageous, important crime-fighting work. Troy’s legacy will forever be one of service and sacrifice. The DEA will ensure he and his family are never forgotten,” DEA President Paul DiGiaxomo also wrote on Twitter.
Patterson had six years on the job, was a member of the 60th Precinct in Coney Island and was promoted to detective by Commissioner William Bratton years following the tragic shooting. The alleged perpetrators Tracy Clark, Vincent Robbins, and Darien Crawford were arrested for the cold-blooded shooting.
Despite never regaining consciousness, Patterson was routinely visited by his family members up until their own deaths and is remembered during a yearly vigil.
