Inside horror rise in cop murders as 7 shot in 48 hours after almost 60% increase in police officer killings in 1 year
A HORROR surge in violence against the police has seen seven cops shot within 48 hours this week after officer killings increased 60 percent in one year.
Three cops in Houston, two in Milwaukee, and two in Missouri were injured in shootings on Wednesday and Thursday alone.
It came as New York City streets were closed down for the funerals of two young officers fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence incident last week.
And after two more officers in the Houston, Texas, area were killed last weekend.
On Thursday, Houston police took a suspect into custody for carjacking a driver and barricading himself inside a home after shooting three officers.
Roland Caballero, 31, opened fire with a “fully automatic weapon” striking Officer N. Gadson, 35; Officer D. Hayden, 32; and Officer A. Alvarez, 28, according to NBC.
The officers are all in a stable condition and expected to recover.
One of the officers was shot in the foot; another was struck in the leg; the third was hit in the arm.
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Cabellero also suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and was taken to hospital.
It’s unclear whether his injury was sustained from gunfire with police.
Officers had been called to the scene at 3pm on Thursday for a family disturbance.
Cabellero reportedly fired at them before fleeing in a car.
He crashed the car and opened fire again, injuring three.
Two cops were also shot in Milwaukee within 24 hours on Thursday.
An unidentified 26-year-old cop was shot in the chest, stomach, and shoulder on Thursday evening but his injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.
He had been called to check on a man who was slumped over a car.
As he approached the man opened fire, before fleeing.
He was later arrested.
On Wednesday, sheriff’s deputy Christian Almonte, 26, was also hospitalized for multiple gunshot wounds.
He was struck in the arms and torso by a 19-year-old man who later killed himself.
The suspect had shot at the officers, who were looking for two men who ran from a traffic stop.
MISSOURI DEATHS
And in St Louis, Missouri, an officer is in a “very critical, very unstable” condition after a shooting on Wednesday afternoon.
He was shot in the leg and another in the abdomen during a traffic stop.
Both officers are in their mid-20s.
“I am asking the public to pray for our officers. This is a rough time,” St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief John Hayden said.
“They’re doing everything they can to keep people safe, and we keep having these critical incidents.”
So far in January, 25 cops have died in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Four were killed by gunfire, two struck by a vehicle, and two others by vehicular assault.
Two officers died in a car crash and one in an accidental death.
Another 14 died of Covid, it reports.
DEADLY 2021
FBI statistics also show that at least ten cops were killed while on duty so far in 2022.
It follows a deadly 2021 when the number of on-duty officers killed increased by more than 58 percent.
The Officer Down Memorial Page shows that deaths for officers this year are also already up by 57 percent.
Last year, 73 officers were killed: 44 in the south, 13 in the west, 12 in the midwest, and 4 in Puerto Rico and outlying territories.
Sixty-one of the deaths involved firearms.
It was the first time in years that the number of officers killed had reached more than 60.
Another 56 died in accidental deaths while on duty in 2021.
There were no officer deaths in the northeast last year before two NYPD cops tragically lost their lives this month.
NYC MOURNS
Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were mourned on Thursday ahead of their funerals.
They suffered fatal gunshot wounds while responding to a domestic incident last Friday.
The casket of 22-year-old Rivera was carried into St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday for his wake ahead of Friday’s funeral.
Hundreds of mourners, many in their uniforms, lined the streets to pay their respects.
The rookie officer had been on the job for barely a year.
Mora, 27, was an officer for four years. He will be buried next week.
The suspect in their deaths, Lashawn McNeil, 47, died in hospital on Monday.
He was hit with two bullets by a third officer after he tried to run away from the scene.
Mayor Eric Adams says he believes the actions of the third officer saved the lives of others.
HOUSTON CRIME SURGE
Houston is also currently experiencing one of the deadliest times spans for cops since late 2019 after two deputies were killed within 24 hours last weekend.
Corporal Charles Galloway was shot by a driver at around 12.45am Sunday as he attempted a traffic stop.
He had not yet gotten out of his SUV when the shots rang out.
The shooter managed to escape.
On Monday morning, an alleged drunk driver hit and killed Sgt. Ramon Gutierrez, the Houston Chronicle reports.
The officer was escorting an oversized load when he was struck by 40-year-old driver Lavillia Spry who then fled the scene.
She was later stopped by other officers close to her home.
“It’s a constant reminder at the end of the day of how dangerous the job inherently is,” Houston Police Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
“We understand that when we sign up, but the families that are impacted, the families behind the badge if you will, they’re at home and they don’t know if they’ll see their loved one again.
“The circumstances are horrific and difficult.”
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