Lawsuit: NYPD Officer Pointed Gun at Colleague

A Manhattan lawsuit filed on June 2 accused NYPD Officer Quilbvio Espinal of sexually harassing a female colleague and then pointing a loaded gun at her inside 1 Police Plaza. The civil filing adds new allegations to an incident that had already led to Espinal's March arrest on a menacing charge. Police previously said the confrontation happened while he was on duty at police headquarters in Lower Manhattan. The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is also investigating. ### Who is accused in the lawsuit, and what does it say happened? Officer Quilbvio Espinal, 35, is identified in published reports as the officer named in the lawsuit and in the earlier criminal case. The suit alleges he subjected a female colleague to repeated sexual harassment before pointing a loaded firearm at her inside NYPD headquarters on the night of the incident. Published accounts of the complaint say the alleged victim was a female civilian employee. Gothamist reported in March that police had described the complainant that way when Espinal was arrested after the incident at One Police Plaza. ### What had police said before the lawsuit was filed? March 27 was the date police first publicly disclosed the case. An NYPD spokesperson said then that Espinal had been arrested and charged with menacing after an incident around 10:45 p.m. inside 1 Police Plaza. Gothamist reported that Espinal was on duty and assigned to the NYPD's Information Technology Bureau at the time. PIX11 and a Daily News report republished by Officer.com said police sources alleged he pointed the gun at another officer, and PIX11 reported that sources said he also pointed it at the ceiling. ### Where did the sexual-harassment allegation come from? June 2 reports on the civil complaint supplied the new detail that the alleged gun-pointing incident was tied to claims of sexual harassment. Earlier police statements had not publicly described a motive, and Gothamist reported in March that officials declined to say what prompted the confrontation. The lawsuit, as described in later coverage, alleges the harassment was persistent and preceded the firearm incident. Those are civil allegations, and the publicly available reporting reviewed here did not show a response from Espinal or a lawyer speaking on his behalf about the lawsuit. ### Was the colleague a police officer or a civilian employee? March reporting did not describe the complainant the same way in every outlet. Gothamist, citing law enforcement officials, said the victim was a female civilian employee. PIX11, citing sources, described the person as another officer. That discrepancy has not been fully resolved in the public reporting reviewed here. What is consistent across the accounts is the location — 1 Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan — and the allegation that Espinal drew or pointed his gun at a colleague while on duty. ### What is the NYPD doing now? The NYPD said in March that its Internal Affairs Bureau was investigating the matter. PIX11 reported that Espinal had been suspended without pay after the arrest. Officer.com, citing the New York Daily News, reported that Espinal was issued a desk appearance ticket and was expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on the menacing charge. Public reporting reviewed here did not include any announcement of additional criminal charges tied to the sexual-harassment allegations in the lawsuit. ### What are the next concrete steps in the case? Manhattan Criminal Court is the venue for the menacing case that followed Espinal's March arrest. Manhattan Supreme Court is where the newly reported civil lawsuit was filed, according to published accounts. The next public developments are likely to come from court filings, scheduled appearances in the criminal case, or statements by the NYPD and the city's Law Department responding to the civil complaint.