Queens North Deputy Police Inspector Steven Silks (in white shirt) with the Commanding Officer of 112th Precinct Jonathan Cermeli (middle) (Photo: QueensPost)
June 6, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
A high-ranking police chief died yesterday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the age of 62.
Queens North Deputy Police Chief Steven Silks. (NYPD)
Steven Silks, the deputy chief of Queens North, was found shot in an unmarked patrol car at around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, just blocks from his office at the 112th Precinct Station house on Burns Street.
He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Silks was scheduled to retire from the police force next month, according to the New York Post. The NYPD’s mandatory retirement age is 63.
Friends and colleagues took to social media to express their condolences and share their memories of Silks.
“He was a one-of-a-kind, well-accomplished individual & an amazing storyteller,” Commanding Officer of the Queens North Patrol Bureau Assistant Chief Martin Morales posted on Twitter.
City Council Member Robert Holden shared his devastation upon learning that Silks had died.
“I’ve known him for many years and he was a great man and public servant,” Holden tweeted. “May he rest in eternal peace, and may we honor him for his service to our great borough and to the NYPD.”
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