Tarpon Springs Officer, Former Member of NYPD, Shot and Ran Over in Florida
Tarpon Springs officer Charles Kondek, 45, was killed on Sunday, after a 23-year-old man shot him and then ran him over in order to avoid arrest.
Kondek, the father of six and a former member of the NYPD, was killed after he responded to a noise complaint in Tarpon Springs, Florida, in the early morning. Marco Antonio Parilla Jr., released from prison in March, apparently thought that Kondek was looking for him since he violated probation. He opened fire, hitting Kondek in the upper body and then ran him over as he tried to escape.
"His reason for shooting the officer was he 'felt like a caged rat,'" Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a press conference.
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Parilla crashed his car into a pole and parked vehicle before attempting to flee on foot. Police were able to apprehend him and bring him into custody. He has an extensive criminal history, police said. He was released from a Florida prison in March after serving over two years for leaving the scene of a crash and having several drug charges.
"It really shocked me," Parilla's aunt, Juana Manendez told WPTV. "He was a nice kid, he never used to be a problem until now. If he say he don't mean to do it, it's because he is not a bad boy."
Chief Robert Kochen did not address Manendez's comments in his own conference, but said that the ordeal was "a tragedy caused by a coward. He chose to take the life of a public servant when he was murdered by this coward, and that's what he is … a coward."
Kondek served on the Tarpon Springs police force for over 17 years after working for the New York City Police Department. Over 6,000 people plan to honor the officer by leaving their porch lights on; his police car has been turned into a memorial, with people leaving flowers and cards covering the vehicle. While the Yankees are paying for the two children of an officer fatally shot in Brooklyn to go to college, Florida's Gold Shield Foundation will tend to the Kondek family's needs and present them with a check for $5,000. Multiple fundraisers are being held to help the family.
Governor Rick Scott called for "peace that will prevent future tragedies" in Florida and said he and his wife were praying "that God provides comfort to his loved ones and all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy."
