2012 Recap: Newsworthy Police, Fire Stories

From the very first day of 2012, there have been a number of police and fire stories from across our region that created a buzz.

Patch has compiled a list of some of the more shocking incidents. They appear below in no particular order:

• Thousands Mourn Slain ATF Agent at Funeral in Seaford: In early 2012, Nassau County's South Shore mourned a local ATF agent who was was was mistakenly shot and killed by a retired cop while trying to thwart an armed robbery of Charlie’s Family Pharmacy in Seaford last New Year's Eve. No criminal charges were brought against two police officers involved in the shooting that killed Capano, a Massapequa resident and Seaford native, and robbery suspect James McGoey of Hampton Bays.
• DA: Man Plotted to Kill Teen After Sexual Abuse: An Inwood man, already charged with drugging and sexually abusing a teenaged employee, was arraigned in July for plotting to kill the employee to prevent him from testifying in the sexual abuse case.
• Garden City Home Invasion Suspect Arrested: Garden City Police arrested Artie Jackson, the suspect wanted in connection with the occupied home invasion on Third Street Nov. 8, less than one week after the incident. Jackson is allegedly responsible for multiple burglaries in both Garden City and Hempstead in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, including one in Garden City where a gun was displayed and shots were fired into the ceiling.
• Fire Ripped Through 10 Canals Homes During Sandy: Long Beach suffered much destruction during Hurricane Sandy, including a massive fire that ripped through 10 homes. The hurricane had knocked out the Long Beach Fire Department and flood waters kept firefighters at bay from fighting the blaze.
• Police: ‘Walking Dead’ Argument Led to Shooting: A Williston Park man was arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder after an argument over the AMC TV series “The Walking Dead” prompted him to shoot his longtime girlfriend in early December. Jared Gurman, 26, was out early Tuesday morning when an argument over the hit cable show spilled over into heated text messaging that culminated when he allegedly shot his girlfriend in the back using a .22 caliber rifle, police said.
• Kids Find Parents in Homicide, Suicide: Four children returned to their North Bellmore home after school in May to find their mother dead on the floor of the laundry room and their father locked in an upstairs bedroom. It was later discovered that Thomas Hayes, 43, stabbed his wife, Sherrelle Hayes, 44, and then hung himself, police said.
• Police: Group of Teens Attacked Man on Roxen Road: A Rockville Centre man was jumped by a group of rowdy teens and put into the hospital on Monday night after he tried to defend his wife from the group's taunts and threats, police officials said. Two South Side High School seniors were arrested for the alleged assault just days before their graduation, while a third was arrested a couple of weeks later. The case has currently been adjourned to 2013.
• Levittown Man Arrested for Utility Worker Assault: A Levittown man was arrested in mid-November in connection with an assault outside of Texas Roadhouse in East Meadow that left an out-of-state utility worker hospitalized. The original assault was thought to be because of the victim's position as a utility worker in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, however, police later released that the assault occurred after the utility worker urinated near the defendant's car.
• NYS Police: Teens Involved in Fatal Parkway Crash: A Queens teen -- who was driving with only a learner's permit and marijuana in his system -- killed four of his friends when he lost control of his car and crashed on the Southern State Parkway in West Hempstead. He now faces criminal charges.