The French Connection

At least six people are confirmed dead after a dangerous shooting in New York City, which left much of the city streets in shambles.  Detective James Doyle and Buddy Russo led the charge against the shooting rampage while pursuing a dangerous suspect.

            The narcotics division of the NYPD is investigating the shooting and capture of a dangerous foreign fugitive.  Pierre Nicoli Jeantot, 36, of Nice, France was shot and killed by Detective Doyle after evading police during a harrowing car chase between the 35^{th and} 15^th Street train stations.

            Detective Doyle sustained non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the chase and is said to have provided valuable evidence on the whereabouts and dealings of a major heroin shipment from overseas.  Local as well as foreign drug dealers are said to be involved.

            According to eyewitness accounts, the shootout began at 1767 West 57^th Ave.  “The first shot fired hit a woman with a baby carriage,” said Sarah Allen, 19, of 16 Brooklyn Drive.  “Then a man ran into the building, up to the roof and the shooter ran out, so the guy followed him,” said Allen.  Allen had rushed to the aid of the first shooting victim, Betty A. Badluck, 63, of the Bronx, who had been walking her granddaughter near her apartment complex.

            Consistent with the eyewitness accounts, the suspect then proceeded to the train station at 35^th Street, from which he traveled all the way to the 15^th Street station.  “It was awful, he just shot that poor guy,” said Lucy Clearwater, 32, of Manhattan.  Clearwater was sitting on the train when the shooter entered her car, demanding to see the conductor.  “He had his gun pointed at the officer on the train and when he tried to step closer he shot him, right in the chest.”  Clearwater said that other passengers started to panic as the shooter gained access to the controls.

            Meanwhile, on the ground, Detective Doyle was seen driving recklessly in pursuit of Jeantot and his train.  Many eyewitnesses claim that Doyle struck more than one vehicle in his haste to catch the suspect.  “He just clipped the truck there,” said Gary Sampson, 43, of Staten Island.  Sampson had been underneath the bridge for the train when Doyle happened to speed past him.  “I heard the beeping and saw the car coming, but didn’t think it would clear the truck,” said Sampson.  Doyle narrowly missed a rear-end collision with a large truck during the high-speed chase.

            As Detective Doyle made his way carelessly to the 15^th Street station, Jeantot had commandeered the train from the conductor and refused to make any stops.  The commuters crowding the train became concerned when the conductor did not make his next scheduled stop and did not answer calls for help.  According to police reports, the train made an unscheduled security stop after crashing into a safety mechanism on the tracks.

            Eventually, Jeantot escaped the compacted train car onto the safety of the platform, only to be greeted by Detective Doyle, who had followed the route of the train from the beginning of the chase.  “The look on the guy’s face was priceless,” said Tony Lavato, 52, of Brooklyn.  “[Doyle] looked up at the guy and he was like ‘Aw, crap.’”  When Jeantot attempted to escape, Detective Doyle shot and killed the suspect, watching him crumple and fall down the steps to his feet.

            Although Detective Doyle was able to prevent his own assassination, he still fought for further questions in the narcotics case.  According to police records, the detectives impounded a vehicle that may have been used to import copious amounts of heroin into the country.  The intended receiver or owner of said vehicle is Henri Devereaux, a prominent French actor.

            Detectives Doyle and Russo used the information they obtained from searching the vehicle and investigating the shooting to set up a temporary road block in an area notorious for drug trafficking and known to Doyle as an area of escape for the foreign fugitives.  According to police, the suspects were seen heading in the direction of the police blockade before fleeing the scene.

            During a routine search of the property where the fugitives were said to be, the warehouse was detained on account of the drug-related charges according to the police report.  Two men were killed in the shootout with police: Sal Boca, an accomplice, and Bill Mulderig of Washington, D.C., a federal agent assigned to the case.  The other fugitive, Alain Charnier, escaped police custody.

            Fortunately, the heroin trafficking center was shut down and the drug pushers held responsible were detained, according to police reports.  Detective Doyle and Russo were reassigned to another division following the death of Federal Agent Mulderig and the police are still on the lookout for Charnier.  Any information regarding his whereabouts should be directed toward the NYPD.