NYPD Detective Passes Away After 33 Years in Coma: An officer with the New York City Police Department who was shot during a robbery in 1990 and stayed in a coma for more than 30 years has died.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, the Detectives' Endowment Association said that Detective Troy Patterson had died. They called him a “hero of New York City” who had “inspired hundreds of fellow Detectives to continue his brave, important crime-fighting work.”
The Associated Press says that Patterson went into “a vegetative state” on January 16, 1990, after being shot in the head while he was washing his car and three people who wanted $20 came up to him.
ABC7 says that the shooter, then-15-year-old Tracy Clark, was with 17-year-old Darren Crawford and 20-year-old Vincent Robbins in the ambush because they needed money to play in a local basketball event.
NBC New York says that all three “served time for various convictions and have since been released,” but Patterson, who was 27 at the time of the shooting, never woke up again.
His son, Troy Patterson, Jr., who was only 5 years old at the time, told ABC7 that even though his dad couldn't talk much, he could respond to his family's sounds and sometimes smiled, chuckled, or laughed.
“That was tough, you know, I was 5 years old, a little kid, a baby,” he said. “You know what it's like to see your dad in the hospital with tubes in his stomach, nose, and mouth. It was hard, but we got through it with the help of his family and the NYPD,” the younger Patterson said.
On Monday, members of the NYPD lined up in front of Patterson's funeral home so that he could be moved with respect.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Detective Troy Patterson's family and friends. He was shot 33 years ago and died of his wounds on April 29. We will always remember him and how hard he worked to make our city a better place for everyone. “#FidelisAdMortem,” said a message from the NYPD on Twitter.
No matter if something happened 3 months ago or over 30 years ago, the NYPD never forgets. This is the promise we make to every new member when they come into our school.
The Police Commissioner of the City of New York, Keechant Sewell, said on Twitter after the event, “We promise to always stand by their families and honor the legacy of Det. Troy Patterson.”
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