Could Get 25 Years

Arrest Fireman In Vicious Cop Assault

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

A 28-year-old Firefighter arrested and charged with assaulting an off-duty Police Officer during an early-morning brawl last week has been suspended without pay, the Fire Department said Aug. 18. Firefighter Sean Murray, from Ladder Co. 140 in Queens, was charged with assault in the first and second degree. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.

No Stranger to Trouble

FDNY spokesman Farrell Sklerov said the department was conducting its own investigation into allegations that Mr. Murray brutally assaulted Police Officer Ahmad Kessba around 4 a.m. Aug. 17 during an altercation with an ex-girlfriend.

Firefighter Murray had been arrested three times before - for disorderly conduct and drunken driving in New York and reckless speeding in Virginia, Police Department officials said.

His speeding arrest came two years after he entered the FDNY, but his previous arrests were more likely to be considered "youthful indiscretions" than serious concerns, sources said.

The drunk-driving incident in Firefighter Murray's past was actually a Driving While Ability Impaired charge, which is a lesser offense than Driving Under the Influence.

Sources said he was pulled over on the way home after a night out with friends. A breathalyzer showed he had been drinking, but he came in under the legal limit and therefore wasn't charged with DUI.

Underage Drinker

Since he was only 20 years old, however, cops gave him a DWAI charge, which included a stint at a treatment program.

The FDNY disqualifies candidates who have felony arrests on their criminal records, but otherwise assesses each applicant individually.

Mr. Sklerov said the FDNY was unlikely to alter its vetting process based on Firefighter Murray's recent actions. He said Firefighter Murray had complied with the requirements of the DWAI charge and the issue had been resolved years ago.

"We have a thorough process we go through when looking at all individual candidates, and I don't see that changing at this point," he said. "We carefully review all candidates to make sure they are on the up and up." When asked about reports that an FDNY Lieutenant had approached Police Officers handling Mr. Murray's arrest in an effort to keep the Firefighter from having to face the press in handcuffs as he was led out of the precinct house, Mr. Sklerov said he couldn't confirm the details.

"I haven't heard anything about that. I do know that some of his colleagues tried to see him, but that's it," he said.

Bothered Ex-Girlfriend

Firefighter Murray allegedly followed his ex-girlfriend into a Long Island club earlier that evening and was ejected when he tried to stop her from dancing with another man.

Later the woman, Jennifer Ray, 21, called Officer Kessba and asked for a ride home. The two were reportedly not dating. When they pulled up in front of her Long Island house, Mr. Murray appeared and confronted Mr. Kessba.

When informed that the young man driving his ex-girlfriend was a cop, witnesses said, Firefighter Murray demanded to see a police shield. But before it could be produced, he allegedly began pummeling the officer, smashing his head on the pavement while Ms. Ray screamed for help.

With Officer Kessba unconscious, Firefighter Murray turned to Ms. Ray, who had locked herself in the car and called 911 on her cell phone. Unable to reach her, the enraged Firefighter reportedly returned to the prone cop and kicked him several more times as he lay on the ground. Mr. Murray only moved away when he heard sirens in the distance. He was picked up by police a few blocks away.

Major Injuries

Officer Kessba was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center. He suffered a brain hemorrhage, broken bones in his face and severe bruising to his head and neck. His eyes were swollen shut, but he was conscious and expected to recover.

Bail for Mr. Murray was set at $250,000. In a brief statement, he told reporters that he'd been punched in the face first. "I have a right to hit back. Right?" he said.

As this paper went to press Aug. 18, he was waiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.