NYPD detective suspended amid investigation by the feds: sources
An NYPD detective was suspended after being questioned by the FBI as part of an investigation into an off-duty shooting he was involved in earlier this month, The Post has learned.
Det. Saul Delacruz, a Field Intelligence Officer assigned to the 100 Precinct in Queens, is being eyed by the feds in connection to the Nov. 8 shooting and possible criminal activity, according to police sources. It’s unclear when the probe was launched.
Delacruz, who joined the force in 2014, was suspended without pay Tuesday, the NYPD confirmed.
“There is zero tolerance in the NYPD for corruption or criminal activity of any kind by any member of the service,” a police spokesman said Wednesday. “The investigation is active and ongoing at this time.”
The 30-year-old detective was involved in an off-duty shooting in Queens earlier this month. He told fellow cops that he approached a “suspicious” man he believed was armed, and that he returned fire after the man shot at him.
The feds are said to be looking into possible ties between Delacruz and the man, according to sources, though the full scope of the investigation wasn’t known.
FBI agents were spotted going in and out of Delacruz’s Queens home on Tuesday morning, neighbors told The Post.
Law enforcement also searched the detective’s locker, and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau was involved, sources said.
The FBI and federal prosecutors did not return requests for comment.
Delacruz could not immediately be reached Wednesday.
“He’s in a lot of trouble,” a source who was briefed on the matter told The Post.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Reuven Fenton