An eight-year Asian American veteran of the New York City Police Department has been identified as one of three officers injured by a machete-wielding man on New Year’s Eve.
The New York Post identified the officer as Louis Iorio and pictured him with his wife Panny Zhao.
Police say Trevor Bickford attacked three officers on New Year’s Eve, not far from the Time Square celebration.
CBS News reports that Bickford had previously been placed on the terror watch list after being identified by family members as recently being radicalized and wanting to fight with Islamic extremists.
According to CNN, Bickford is accused of first striking one officer with a blade and another officer in the head and then swinging a blade at a third officer who shot him in the shoulder.
The New York Daily News, citing law enforcement sources, reports authorities believe Bickford first struck a rookie officer near Eighth Ave. and 52nd St. about 10:11 p.m. on Saturday. Officer Paul Cozzolino had graduated from the academy on Friday and suffered a large laceration in the head and a skull fracture on his first day on the job.
Iorio suffered a cut to his head. The third officer is identified as rookie Michael Hanna. Hanna is credited with shooting the suspect in the shoulder.
Officers recovered a bag belonging to Bickford and found a note apologizing to his mother and family.
“He talks about his family, his mother, letting them down,” the source said of the diary to the Daily News. “Not being good enough. He considers the U.S. government, the military, as his enemy and he sees his brother as the enemy.”
That brother Devon is a member of the U.S. Marine Corp.
(Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Iorio’s last name.)
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