Off-duty Pelham Manor cop shot by Yonkers police





YONKERS – An off-duty Pelham Manor cop who police said was armed and suicidal was shot by officers Thursday night in Redmond Park.

The bullet grazed Kenneth Campion in the chest and struck him in the arm. He was in stable condition Friday afternoon and expected to recover, police said.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, Yonkers officials said two officers from the 2nd Precinct who were on patrol observed Campion sitting on the baseball field in the park, off Cook Avenue, at about 9:30 p.m.

They began speaking with him, saw a gun in his lap, and called for backup.

"He did not adhere to several commands...(and) made a movement that led them to believe they were in great danger," Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said.

One officer, Remy Susini, fired a single shot that grazed Campion's chest and struck his arm.

The entire incident took less than five minutes.

Gardner said that Campion was suicidal but would not say what led police to that determination.

He would not disclose anything that was discussed between the officers and Campion or whether Campion told them he was a police officer.

Police also would not say where exactly Campion's gun was when he was shot – only that it was in close proximity to his hand – and they would not describe the exact movement he made that led Susini to fire.

Gardner said Susini, a 7-year veteran of the department, acted within guidelines and that it appeared to be an "appropriate use of force." Susini went on medical leave following the shooting, the commissioner said.

Gardner called the scenario "among the most dangerous and stressful" that officers face but said the two officers and two others who responded reacted quickly and got Campion the medical attention he needed.

Campion's gun, a Smith & Wesson 9 mm, was recovered at the scene. It was his personal weapon, the commissioner said.

Pelham Manor Village Manager John Pierpont said Campion had worked the day shift on Thursday but referred other questions about the shooting to Yonkers police.

Members of the Yonkers Detective Division and Internal Affairs are investigating.

The park is about half a mile from a home where Campion lived in the 1990s. Campion lived in Yonkers for many years and his ex-wife and children still live there. He remarried two years ago. He has been with the Pelham Manor department for more than two decades.

Just last month, Campion, 47, became president of the Westchester County Detectives Association. He had remained active in the organization even though he was no longer a detective following his reassignment two years ago by police Chief Alfred Mosiello. He had been a detective for at least 12 years at the time.

Mosiello has been under investigation in recent months, including over racist emails he had sent that were provided to village officials by retired police officers critical of his leadership of the department.

Mosiello is on medical leave and the Pelham Manor department is being run by Lt. David Donahue, who said Friday afternoon that he understood Campion was doing better. He referred questions about Campion's condition to Jacobi Hospital and inquiries about the shooting to Yonkers police.

Donahue would not speculate on what prompted the incident and said the department's focus was on Campion's recovery.

"It's a terrible tragedy and we hope it has a good outcome," he said.

Mamaroneck Village Police Det. Bernie McNally, a past president of the county detectives association, said Friday that the group had no comment on the incident other than to say that their prayers were with Campion and his family.

Journal News reporters Thane Grauel and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon contributed to this story.

Twitter: @JonBandler

Reporters Thane Grauel and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon contributed to this story.