Salvatore J. Potenza

Salvatore Potenza joined the New York City Police Department on 16 May 1955. He served in the 13th, 73rd and 70th Precincts, with Patrol Borough Brooklyn North and the 63rd Squad, and became a detective with the 12th Detective District in Brooklyn, carrying shield 1203.

On the night of 15 October 1964 a minister called the 71st Precinct about a man who had assaulted his wife and threatened to kill her. The man, Donald B. Guyette, was a 35-year-old former convict who collected guns. Detective Potenza and Detective James A. Donegan went to the apartment where he was staying at 1632 Hendrickson Street in Flatlands to talk with him about the dispute. Shortly after midnight, when they knocked, Guyette fired through the door. Both detectives were mortally wounded. They fired six shots back and died at the scene. Guyette took their revolvers, went to his wife's home, telephoned his son and the minister, and then shot himself with one of the detectives' guns.

Detective Potenza was 35. After a Mass at St. Sylvester's Church in Brooklyn he was buried at Pinelawn National Cemetery on 19 October 1964.

Detective Salvatore Potenza and Detective James Donegan were shot and killed after going to a home to investigate a domestic complaint. Detective Potenza and Detective Donegan received a complaint that a man had assaulted his wife and threatened to kill her. They were told that the man was an ex-convict and a former mental patient. The detectives went to an apartment at 1632 Hendrickson Street, Brooklyn, where the suspect was staying. When the detectives knocked on the door, the suspect opened fire through the door with a rifle. Both Detective Potenza and Detective Donegan were fatally wounded. The detectives were able to return fire before they fell but did not strike the suspect. The suspect then stole the detective's service weapons and fled to his wife's house. Once there, he told her what he had done and then shot and killed himself with one of the stolen guns. Detective Potenza was a United States Army Korean War veteran and served with the New York City Police Department for nine years, assigned to the 71st Precinct Detective Squad.