Deputy Inspector Denis Mullaney (NYPD)
April 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin
The commanding officer of a Northern Queens NYPD precinct shot and killed himself in an apparent suicide Monday.
Deputy Inspector Denis Mullaney, 44, fatally shot himself in the head inside a department vehicle parked near Kissena Park, police said.
Mullaney, who led the 107th Precinct, had called a family member earlier and expressed suicidal thoughts, sources told the New York Post.
Police officers tracked his phone, which led them to the corner of Underhill Avenue and 164th Street. They found his vehicle just after 5:10 p.m., but Mullaney was already dead inside, the New York Daily News reported.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but couldn’t be saved, police said.
Mullaney had only been in command of the 107th Precinct — which covers Fresh Meadows, Cunningham Heights and Hilltop Village — for about six months. He took over as commanding officer in September.
His death is believed to be the first NYPD suicide of 2021. Over the last two years, there have been a string of officer suicides, including multiple in Queens.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
