Another Off-Duty NYPD Shooting

If it seems like just a few days ago that I posted a series of stories about three police officers who did some drinking and then did some shooting, ending with suspensions and arrests, that's because it was. Now today we welcome NYPD Police Officer Jamarie Flowers to the fold. According to NBC News, Flowers was home in New Rochelle early Saturday when he was involved in some sort of dispute. Bringing his training and expertise to bear, Flowers pulled his gun and fired several shots into the air. Flowers was subsequently arrested for reckless endangerment and has been suspended. The prior shootings appeared to be fueled, at least in part, by alcohol. No info as to Flowers's sobriety was available.

Standing alone, it's not much of a story. Off-duty officer gets into dispute, makes poor decision re: whether to pull his gun and what to do with it once he pulls it. Is charged for being a knucklehead and now waits to see if his career is completely derailed. Viewed in the context of the three separate shootings that occurred over the past two weeks, however, a pattern begins to emerge. We'll soon see if this is the last of a series of coincidences, or if there's more to come. Here's hoping for the former.