NYPD’s union president is calling for convicted cop killer Bruce Lorick to be locked up for good in response to his latest request to be released following his fourth arrest in just the past year.
Lorick, 66, was paroled for life in 2021 after spending nearly 40 years in prison for shooting and killing NYPD Officer Joseph Keegan, 40, in 1980. He was arrested four times in the past 12 months — and released three times — and is once again demanding his freedom.
“The revolving door in this case is an absolute travesty to our justice system,” PBA President Patrick Hendry told The Post. “Legal Aid’s own filing for the release of this cop killer clearly shows that he is incapable of leading a law-abiding life and that he has no business being released into a civilized society.
“Joseph Keegan’s family shouldn’t have to see his killer get free pass after free pass,” he continued. “The courts need to stop this charade and put him back behind bars for good.”
Lorick fatally shot Keegan in the head with the cop’s gun when he tried to stop him for hopping a turnstile inside the Columbus Circle subway station on the Upper West Side. Keegan was just two weeks away from retirement, family members said.
The killer was sentenced to 25 years to life for second-degree murder and was held in Shawangunk State prison until his release on lifetime parole in April 2021, online records show.
In Dec. 2022, he was arrested for strangulation, a police source said.
Then, six months after that, he was picked up for criminal contempt in June 2023, the sources said.
On Nov. 18, Lorick was busted for stealing $285 worth of shrimp, chicken, Jimmy Dean frozen meals, and other items from a Target on the Upper East Side, according to police and sources.
He was back on the streets on Nov. 26 after a bail recognizance hearing.
Lorick’s latest arrest came on Dec. 22 when he was busted for allegedly using and possessing cocaine, failing to notify parole of a change in program status, and failing to complete inpatient substance abuse treatment, records show.
He is being held on Rikers Island, but Legal Aid Society attorneys sued in Bronx Supreme Court on Dec. 29 to have him sprung again.
Keegan’s outraged brother, 78-year-old John Keegan, told The Post he was assured by the state Parole Board that his brother’s killer would not get out again.
“That was a lie,” he said.
“It’s outrageous,” he continued. “I thought parole was that if you violate parole you automatically go back in.”