Off-duty NYPD detective dies after shooting self in Queens home

An off-duty NYPD detective has died after shooting himself in his Queens home, police said Tuesday.

Detective Brendan Mcveigh was found by his fiancée shot in the head in his Rockaway apartment about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police said.

Responding officers found his gun near his body.

Medics rushed him to Kings County Hospital, but he could not be saved.

“Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of Detective Brendan Mcveigh,” Detective Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said Tuesday. “He was an amazing detective, highly respected by his peers, but even the strongest among us sometimes need a helping hand.

“As the union stands in support of his family, this tragic incident highlights the tremendous stressors of our jobs. We want our members to know they are never alone and help is available 24/7.”

Mcveigh joined the NYPD in 2015 and was assigned to the 9th Precinct in the East Village.

“With much sorrow, the 9th Precinct mourns the passing of Detective Mcveigh,” Deputy Inspector Ralph Clement, the commanding officer of the precinct, tweeted Tuesday morning. “Brendan did his job with passion and was loved by all of us here.”

Mcveigh is the third NYPD officer to die by suicide this year.

The city saw a rise in police suicides in 2019 and 2020, leading the NYPD to step up its mental health outreach for cops in distress.

In 2019, the department ordered its officers to complete a mandatory suicide prevention training course and is continually offering mental health resources through the NYPD’s employee’s assistance unit, the chaplain’s unit and Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance.