Defendant Charged With First-Degree Murder in Cop Shooting

This story was written by Matthew Hogan.

Alleged cop killer Darrell Fuller was charged with two counts of first-degree murder at his arraignment Thursday morning.

Fuller, 33, of St. Albans, allegedly shot and killed 29-year-old Nassau police officer Arthur Lopez and 52-year-old Queens resident Raymond Facey Tuesday morning in Bellerose Terrace.

Police said that Lopez was gunned down by Fuller after pulling the defendant's car over on 241st St. in Queens.

A short time later, Facey was allegedly shot by Fuller while he was pulled over on the Cross Island Parkway to take a phone call from his daughter, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

"Two honorable men lost their lives," Rice said at a press conference Thursday. "... For these despicable crimes, Darrell Fuller faces the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole."

Along with the murder charges, Fuller was also charged with one count of robbery in the first degree, two counts of criminal possession of weapon in the second degree and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.

Major Offense Bureau Chief Mitchell Benson said that investigators have gathered "ample evidence" against Fuller including eyewitness accounts, lineup identifications, telephone records, forensic evidence, ballistics evidence that connects all of the shootings in this case and a murder weapon.

Benson said that while Fuller acted alone in the shootings, he did receive assistance from "associates" afterward.

"He did reach out to associates and he did engineer a situation in which he would be wounded apparently or to try to create the impression that he was an innocent victim," Benson said.

One of Fuller's associates was arrested in Queens, Benson confirmed. The associate was found with the murder weapon, as well as a second weapon to which he admitted ownership. He is being charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

A plea deal was reached on Fuller's most recent sentence for drug possession in 2010, which put him back on the streets after just nine months. However, Benson assured residents that a plea deal would not be possible this time around.

"We're going to pursue the maximum penalty," he said.