New York City Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 5711
Cause of Death: Fire
Date of Incident: April 6, 2014
Weapon Used: Arson
Suspect Info: Convicted
Detective Dennis Guerra died from injuries he sustained after responding to a residential apartment building fire.
Detective Guerra and his partner responded to a fire on the 13th floor of a New York City Housing Authority building in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. As Detective Guerra and his partner stepped off the elevator onto the 13th floor, they were immediately overcome by heavy smoke and carbon monoxide fumes. The officers radioed for assistance, and members of the New York City Fire Department responded and found both officers unconscious and unresponsive. Detective Guerra was resuscitated with CPR and transported to a local hospital. He was later transferred to a specialized hospital in the Bronx, where he died three days later from his injuries. Detective Guerra's partner was removed to a local hospital where she was in critical but stable condition. She survived with life-long respiratory injuries.
It was determined that the fire was intentionally set by a 16-year-old arsonist, who lit a mattress on fire in the hallway of the building. He was arrested by detectives and subsequently convicted of murder. In June 2016 the subject was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison with an additional two years for an unrelated robbery charge.
Officer Guerra had served with the New York City Police Department for eight years and was assigned to Police Service Area 1. He is survived by his wife and four children.
At his funeral, Officer Guerra was posthumously promoted to Detective by Police Commissioner William Bratton.