NYPD officer dies over 30 years after being shot in the head during botched robbery

A New York City police officer who spent more than three decades in a vegetative state after being shot in the head during a botched robbery has died, officials said.

Detective Troy Patterson, who was off duty when he was shot on Jan. 16, 1990, died Saturday, Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said Monday.

Patterson was washing his car on a street in Brooklyn when he was approached by three young men who demanded $20, police said. One of the robbers, who was 15 years old, shot Patterson.

NEW YORK CITY TO HAND OUT 500 FREE APPLE AIRTAGS TO DETER CAR THEFTS

Patterson suffered a catastrophic injury and spent the next 33 years in what news reports describe as a vegetative state, though supporters held out hope that he would regain consciousness.

NYPD Assistant Chief Judith Harrison said during a vigil for Patterson last year that she was "hoping for a miracle" more than 30 years after the shooting.

DiGiacomo, ...