Incident Summary:

5/19/1971: Members of the Black Liberation Army shot and wounded two police officers, Thomas P. Curry and Nicholas J. Binetti, in Manhattan, New York, United States. The officers were guarding the home of New York District Attorney Frank Hogan when they saw a car going the wrong way down a one-way street. When the officers caught up with the vehicle six blocks away, the perpetrators fired shots into the police car. The radio car was riddled with bullets and the windshield was shattered.

GTD ID:
197105190001

When:
1971-05-19

Country:
United States

Region:
North America

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

New York

City:
New York City

Location Details:
Manhattan

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Police
Name of Entity New York Police Department
Specific Description Police officers guarding the home of New York District Attorney Frank Horgan
Nationality of Target United States
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Automatic Weapon
Weapon Details
.45 caliber submachine gun
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Additional Information The Black Liberation Army claimed the attack in letters to the New York Times and New York radio station WLIB. The machine gun used in the incident was discovered by police while arresting members of the Black Liberation Army in a robbery two weeks later (197106050002). Richard Moore (Dhoruba al-Mujahid Bin Walid) was convicted of the incident in 1973 after two previous trials went to hung juries. However, the New York Supreme Court reversed the conviction in 1990 due to the prosecutions failure to disclose evidence to the defense.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Black Liberation Army Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Letter)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators Unknown
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 2 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 2
Number of U.S. Injured 2
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
Robert Daley, "Target Blue," Delacorte Press, 1973.
Martin Arnold, "Hunto On for 2 Would-Be 'Cop Killers,'" New York Times, May 21, 1971.
Ronald Sullivan, "Court Erupts As Judge Frees An Ex-Panther," New York Times, March 23, 1990.