Richard Brooks was 44 and a retired New York City police officer working part time as a Babylon Town bay constable when he was killed on Friday, July 16, 2004. While on a routine afternoon patrol on a quiet waterfront street in Oak Beach, Brooks tried to stop a vehicle whose driver, later identified as 42-year-old James Wilson of Oak Beach, drove erratically and fled. The driver led Brooks to a home at 79 Hawser Dr., abandoned his car and ran inside.

As Brooks exited his patrol car and called for backup in the driveway, the man fired a 12-gauge shotgun from a second-story window, striking Brooks in the chest. The shooter then returned outside, got into his vehicle and ran over the fallen constable several times before attempting to flee. New York State Park Police had blocked the road; when the driver stopped and aimed his shotgun at officers, they opened fire and killed him at the scene. Witnesses reported the driver had been drinking heavily and was distraught earlier that day.

Brooks lived in Amityville, was married with two children and volunteered with the Amityville Fire Department. His death was the first line-of-duty fatality for the Babylon Bay Constable unit. Does anyone have memories of Brooks or information about his patrol that day?