Officer William Flood, a United States Marine Corps veteran and off-duty police officer, was killed in Harlem on the evening of Wednesday, December 21, 1977. He was entering a building on Nichols Avenue with another person when a man who followed them inside attempted a robbery. Officer Flood tried to arrest the assailant and was shot during the confrontation. The suspect, later identified as an escaped prisoner from Green Haven Prison, fled with Officer Flood’s service weapon.

Police apprehended the suspect a short time later and recovered the officer’s firearm. The man was convicted of murder and received a life sentence; he was paroled on June 30, 2009. Does anyone have memories of that night or information about Officer Flood’s life and service?