Police: Off-duty NY jail guard kills ex-girlfriend and uncle, wounds grandfather in rampage

Police: NY jail guard kills ex-girlfriend, uncle

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — An off-duty jail guard shot and killed her former girlfriend outside a hospital, then went to a relative’s nearby home, where she killed her uncle, wounded her 88-year-old grandfather and took a niece hostage, police said Wednesday.

Kim Wolfe, 43, also was briefly hospitalized after she complained of difficulty breathing but was later released back into police custody. She is suspected of fatally shooting Stacie Williams, a 45-year-old maternity ward nurse’s aide at the Nassau University Medical Center, sometime after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Wolfe and Williams had been through a “romantic, intimate relationship,” but then split up, police said.

They met early Wednesday outside the hospital to discuss a possible reconciliation, but at some point the discussion turned violent and Wolfe opened fire with her 9 mm pistol, striking Williams several times, Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said at a news conference. It was not immediately clear how long the couple had been together, nor the reason for their split, Mulvey said.

Wolfe then drove to a home 3 1/2 miles away in Hempstead, where police say she began arguing with her grandfather Marshall Williams Sr.

Wolfe’s 56-year-old uncle, Michael Williams, tried to intervene and was fatally shot in the chest, police said. Marshall Williams was then shot in the leg, authorities said.

Afterward, Wolfe ordered her 23-year-old niece at gunpoint to come with her, Mulvey said.

Wolfe and the niece started driving toward Atlantic City, N.J., but made several phone calls back to the Hempstead home during the trip. A Hempstead police officer responding to the shooting picked up one of the calls and then, in consultation with hostage negotiators, persuaded her to return to Hempstead.

She was arrested at about 5:45 a.m. Her niece was released unharmed.

Wolfe was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in connection with the shooting rampage. It was not immediately clear whether she had a lawyer; specific charges were to be announced at the arraignment.

Stacie Williams, who wasn’t related to Marshall and Michael Williams, worked at the hospital for 23 years, hospital spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said. “Our sympathies and prayers go out to the family, friends and colleagues,” she said.

Williams was a vibrant person who always had a smile on her face, Civil Service Employees Association President Jerry Larricciuta said in a statement.

“We knew Stacie as a hardworking professional who was a wonderful worker, and was a great asset to NUMC,” he said. “Our hearts go out to the families involved in this tragedy. We lost a great health care professional today.”

Mulvey described Wolfe’s pistol as her “service weapon” but said it was not clear if she bought it privately or whether it was issued to her as part of her job as a correction officer. A detective noted that guards do not carry weapons while on duty.

Wolfe is a correction officer of 19 years who worked the midnight shift supervising inmates at the county jail next to the hospital, said Liz Consolo, a spokeswoman for the Nassau County sheriff’s office. She was not scheduled to work on Wednesday morning, the spokeswoman said.

Consolo declined to comment on Wolfe’s disciplinary record or any other details of her employment.

Nassau County Police Lt. Kevin Smith said Stacie Williams’ son, who rushed to the hospital after hearing of the shooting, was struck by a car while crossing the street in front of the medical center. The man, Frederick King, refused medical aid at the scene, Smith said.