NYC officer, a Mepham grad, is shot

Kevin Brennan, a New York City police officer and a 2001 Mepham High School graduate, was shot in the head while chasing a suspect in a Brooklyn housing development at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 31, but survived and is now in stable condition, according to a New York City Police Department spokesperson.

Brennan, who joined the NYPD in 2005, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center, where surgeons removed a bullet from his skull, according to a statement released by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Bloomberg issued the statement from Bellevue on the night of the shooting, saying, “We’re here tonight at Bellevue Hospital because one of our city’s finest, Officer Kevin Brennan, was shot tonight in the head in the Bushwick Houses development in Brooklyn when he and his partners responded to a report of shots fired.

“The doctors here at Bellevue successfully removed the bullet from the right base of Officer Brennan’s skull,” Bloomberg continued. “He is in critical but stable condition.”

Police arrested the suspected gunman, Luis Ortiz, 21, later that night. According to police, Ortiz shot Brennan with an illegal gun at point-blank range. “This individual turned, fired one shot, striking Officer Brennan at the base of his skull,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly at a news conference.

Ortiz, of Brooklyn, was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, assault on a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing, according to a Police Department spokesperson.

According to The New York Times, Ortiz was already wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of Shannon McKinney on Jan. 1. At the time that Ortiz allegedly shot Brennan, he was being pursued by three plainclothes anticrime officers.

Michael Harrington, Mepham High School’s principal, offered a statement on behalf of the school. “In speaking to his teachers, Kevin was a great young man, who was well-liked by his peers and faculty,” Harrington said, “and the entire Mepham community has Kevin and his family in their thoughts and prayers, and wishes him a speedy recovery.”

While at Bellevue, Brennan has spoken with several media outlets, and even received a get-well note from New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin before the Super Bowl, according to a New York Daily News report.

Brennan lives in New Hyde Park with his wife, Janet. Six weeks ago, Janet gave birth to a girl, Maeve, the couple’s first child.