A massive police manhunt in Southern Brooklyn ended tragically on June 6, when authorities discovered the body of a missing NYPD officer, cops said.
Cops discovered Joe Calabrese, 58, in Plumb Beach along the southern coast of Sheepshead Bay with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to police.
Authorities had been searching for Calabrese, a veteran Brooklyn South homicide squad detective, since his car was found abandoned near the Belt Parkway at around 3 a.m., leading to a manhunt involving over 100 police vehicles, cops said.
Authorities discovered Calabrese’s body the following evening, according to police.
Calabrese’s suicide comes just one day after NYPD Deputy Chief Steven Silks, 62, perished of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in Queens.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill issued a statement to NYPD officers on June 7, urging New York’s Finest who struggle with depression to seek help.
“We cannot sit idly by and just pray that they don’t happen again. We have to take action now. We have to discuss mental health,” he said. “This is about keeping our family healthy – and about saving lives. Your jobs require that you spend so much of your work day helping people in crisis. But, before you can take care of others, it’s imperative that you first take care of yourselves.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio took to Twitter later Thursday night to express his regret over the tragic losses.
“We’re grieving with the family of Detective Joe Calabrese. He served this city with tremendous distinction,” Hizzoner wrote. “This has been a painful 24 hours for the NYPD. Two brave, distinguished veterans took their own lives.”
