
Cops honor slain Nassau Det. Artie Lopez and lift his sister's spirits

In the eight years since Nassau police Det. Artie Lopez died in the line of duty, Charo Lopez has been a voice for her brother. Always at the court dates, rallies and many memorial dedications in his name, she made sure her brother was not forgotten.
On Wednesday, her slain brother’s police family came out in droves to put on a surprise parade to lift her spirits. Charo Lopez had spent the past few weeks alone in her Babylon home during the coronavirus shut-in and said she was buoyed by the show of support.
Festooned with blue streamers, police vehicles from Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as the NYPD, drove by her home with emergency lights flashing and sirens blaring. The Nassau police Emergency Services Unit truck, dedicated in honor of her late brother, was part of the caravan. The officers brought gifts, including flowers and snacks.

Charo Lopez , the sister of slain Nassau police Det. Artie Lopez, is overcome with emotion Wednesday as police vehicles drive by her home to lift her spirits amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: James Carbone
“This is amazing; I feel so loved,” a mask-clad Lopez said from her front lawn. “Five minutes ago I felt alone.”
The caravan of police vehicle for Lopez was one of four visits Wednesday to the families of officers who died in the line of duty. The caravans were an effort to remind families their loved ones will never be forgotten by their brothers and sisters in blue.
Organized by Blue Lives Matter K-9 and the NYPD, officers also visited the widow and daughter of Wenjian Liu, the posthumously promoted NYPD detective who was assassinated along with his partner, Rafael Ramos in Brooklyn in 2014.
“Unfortunately, on a daily basis, they’re suffering so much,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Martine Materasso, the commanding officer of the counterterrorism bureau, referring to slain officers’ families. “After we did something like that, it brought them a little happiness, that they are remembered and not forgotten. We’re still thinking of them.”

Nassau police Det. Artie Lopez was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 23, 2012. Credit: NCPD
Artie Lopez was fatally shot in Bellerose, Queens, on Oct. 23, 2012, while trying to arrest hit-and-run driver Darrell Fuller, who was later convicted of killing Lopez and motorist Raymond Facey, 58, of Brooklyn.
Fuller was sentenced to life in prison, but died in an upstate prison last year. Just 29, Lopez had been on the force for eight years when he died and was posthumously promoted to detective.
Among those outside Charo Lopez’s house was Suffolk Chief of Department Stuart Cameron, the department’s highest ranked uniformed officer. He said the camaraderie among officers and the response from neighbors also provided a boost to him and the officers.
“Everybody on the whole block was happy and it was nice to see Artie’s sister so happy,” said Cameron, adding that he knew Artie Lopez personally. “He was a really, nice, respectful man and I was impressed with him. It affected me obviously more than normal when he got killed.”
Lou Tutone, first vice president of the Suffolk County PBA, said he wanted to ensure Charo Lopez didn’t feel alone.
“She knows that we are always with her, always thinking about Artie and her family,” Tutone said. “It’s a blue family, we all have to stick together.”

A parade of police vehicles Wednesday drive past the Babylon home of Charo Lopez. Credit: James Carbone
Charo Lopez said her mother was quarantining in Florida, so she had been home alone, only connecting with family and friends on the phone and through video chats. She broke down in tears when she spotted Officer Michael Leone, who had attended the police academy with her brother and was close to him.
Lopez said she wished she could hug him. Leone, also wearing a mask, walked over and held her.
“This today, it just solidifies that my brother is always around and my brothers and sisters are always here with me,” she said. “So I’m very thankful.”