NYPD backtracks, says officer wasn't killed in 1999 shooting
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The New York Police Department says confusion surrounding a long-awaited arrest led officials to wrongly declare that an off-duty officer had been killed in a 1999 shooting in the Bronx.
A police spokeswoman said Monday that Officer Vincent Ling survived and has since retired. Commissioner James O'Neill tweeted Sunday that Ling had been killed.
Sgt. Jessica McRorie said in a statement that a misreading of the attempted murder charge on suspect Lester Pearson's arrest warrant "led to the confusion about (Ling's) death."
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Pearson was arrested Friday in Jacksonville, Florida. The New York Daily News heralded the development on its front page with the headline: "COP KILLER CAUGHT."
It wasn't clear if Pearson had a lawyer. Prosecutors said charging documents weren't in a database because the case is old.