New York City Housing Authority Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 13, 1988
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 2 years, 9 months
Badge Number: 2178
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 13, 1988
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 120 years
Police Officer Anthony McLean was shot and killed while checking a building. He and his partner were assigned to check four buildings for a young girl who had been reported missing.
At approximately 1:00 am, Officer McLean entered a building to conduct a search. While searching one of the stairwells, Officer McLean interrupted criminal activity on the second floor. One of the men involved opened fire on Officer McLean, striking him in the neck, just above his vest.
Officer McLean was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries approximately two hours later. The missing girl turned up at another family member's home.
The suspect was apprehended a month later in Philadelphia. In 1989, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to a minimum of 120 years in prison. At the time of the incident, he was out on parole for another murder he had committed in 1979.
Officer McLean was a United States Army veteran of elite special forces and had served with the New York City Housing Authority Police Department for 2 years and nine months. He was survived by his fiancée, parents, and four brothers.