The DEA Honor Roll
Official Line of Duty Deaths
Joseph Guarnieri
Rank: Detective
Shield Number: 1098
Command: 39 Precinct
Date of Death: 04/02/1914
Cause of Death: Shot and Killed in the Line of Duty
Detective Joseph Guarnieri was shot and killed on April 2, 1914, when he and his partner, Lieutenant George Haerle, were looking for a felon who was wanted for killing a witness. The murderer, William Horgan, had previously shot a man who was a witness in a criminal action against Horgan’s son. The shooting of Det. Guarnieri took place at a tenement house at 1880 Second Avenue in Manhattan. The Officers were assigned to the 39th Precinct: what is now the confines of the 23 Precinct. After Horgan shot and killed Det. Guarnieri, Lt. Haerle shot and killed Horgan. Both Officers received the NYPD Medal of Honor. Guarnieri left a wife and three small children. Det. Guarnieri had previously been shot in a different incident and required multiple surgeries to recover. He did and returned to the job. But, this second shooting incident which killed him left his family relatively penniless, because of his previous medical bills. The tragic tale of Det. Guarnieri’s heroism and his family’s suffering was covered by The New York Times in April of 1914. Click on the links below:
Det. Joseph Guarnieri Coverage in the New Yok Times 1914