Off-duty NYPD officer found dead from apparent suicide

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — NYPD Officer Gregory Purvis was found dead on Tuesday in an upper Manhattan residence from an apparent suicide, authorities confirmed.

Purvis, 30, was found inside 609 West 186th St. in Hudson Heights at 1:44 p.m. and was pronounced dead on the scene by EMS, police said.

The off-duty officer was found by his partner who was worried after not hearing from him, the New York Daily News reported . The same report said that Purvis died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The medical examiner will determine an official cause of death.

In a statement that confirms Purvis “tragically took his own life,” the Bronx Chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association offered condolences to Purvis’ loved ones and touched on the importance of supporting those struggling with mental health.

“Mental health struggles are real, and it’s important that we support one another during these difficult times,” the statement, posted Wednesday, read. “If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out—there is always help available.”

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry released a statement acknowledging the “roller coaster of emotions” the city’s police department has undergone this week, noting the alleged attempted murder of a Community Response Team officer by a suspected car thief on Sunday, the suspect’s subsequent arraignment and Purvis’ death.

“This job takes a toll on you. You call the police for the worst moments of your life. Our officers respond to those calls and help you in those terrible moments,” Daughtry wrote. “But then, when that moment is over for you, our officers go to the next call for help, the next victim having the next traumatizing moment, and then the next, and the next; and then they go home and try to have a normal life, managing all the trauma they’ve been exposed to, and wake up to do it again.”

Purvis, who has been with the NYPD since January 2020, served the 30 ^th Precinct, which encompasses West Harlem.

“It’s with profound sadness we announce the sudden death of 30th Pct Officer Gregory Purvis,” the 30 ^th Precinct wrote on social media. “From teaching safety tips to kids to coaching blue chips, Officer Purvis took his role as your Youth Officer with pride and joy.”

Daughtry encouraged other officer struggling with their mental health to reach out for help from others in the department and mental health professionals.

“We lost another brother to the trauma of this work. To the men and women who wear the uniform, please know that there are always, always people willing to listen about the bad days, about the days that hit too close to home,” he wrote. “Greg, watch over your brothers and sisters and give them the strength they need to ask for help. Fidelis ad Mortem.”

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org .