(story for class) Assassination Attempt on Local Cop Fails, Five Dead (story for class)

By: Cameron Johnson

New York - Multiple gunshots were reported in a residential area of New York City, with five dead, including the gunman, Pierre Jeantot.

The action all started when Detective Jimmy Doyle was walking home down 57th avenue, when a sniper opened fire from a nearby rooftop. “It was terrifying,” said Karen Johnson, a resident of the area. “When he started firing, a lady pushing her baby in a carriage just dropped down, I couldn’t tell if she was dead or not.” The woman, Olivia Williams, received three bullets to the chest and was dead before paramedics could arrive on scene.

According to Karen, Doyle ducked behind a tree for cover, and then proceeded to approach the building to apprehend the Jeantot. According to witnesses, he was able to climb to the top of the building as the Jeantot was escaping from the bottom floor. Doyle was seen shortly thereafter, giving chase on foot toward the 35st station of the Elevated train.

The chase continued onto a train car, with the Jeantot getting on the train and Doyle being forced to find an alternative mode of transportation. “A crazy man was walking in the middle of the street, flagging down anyone he could,” said Laura Hess, an onlooker. “He eventually managed to pull over a brown sedan and took off like a madman.”

While Doyle was driving below the train, the hired assassin Jeantot was taking control of the car above. After shooting one of the conductors of the train, made his way to the controls of the car, where Peter Howe was driving the car. Jeantot threatened Howe with a gun, forcing him to continue through the next stop without slowing, denying Doyle entry to the elevated train.

“[Jeantot] was pointing his gun at one of the conductors, and he just kept saying ‘get back,’” said Patty Levesque, a passanger on the train. “The conductor just kept telling him to put the gun down, and that he wasn’t going to get away with it.”

Jeantot shot the conductor, which caused Howe to go into cardiac arrest. Without anyone controlling the car, the train crashed into the 15^th street stations parked train.

“I helped carry Peter out of the car after the crash, that poor man,” said Levesque. “The paramedics tried to revive him, but there was nothing they could do.

Meanwhile, Doyle pursued the train from below, rushing into oncoming traffic, at one point colliding with a vehicle as it pulled out of the driveway. “I was just trying to get to work when this car came out of nowhere and rammed into me,” said Robert Edgerton. “I was nearly thrown from my car; it was pretty intense.”

Doyle did manage to arrive intact to the 15^th street station, and made his way to the entrance, where he was able to spot Jeantot attempting to flee the crashed train. As Jeantot walked down the stairs to street level, Doyle intercepted, and the two stared at each other, both winded and in shock from their chase.

“[Jeantot] tried to turn around and leave, but [Doyle] shouted ‘hold it,’ and when [Jeantot] didn’t listen and tried to flee, he shot him once in the back,” said Sean Moreau passenger on the train.

The families of the victims are holding a candlelight vigil next Thursday, at the park near where the William’s was shot on 57^th avenue.