An ex-con accused of shooting an NYPD detective during a Staten Island drug bust was released from jail Wednesday after former Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant helped secure bail.
Grant was among those who kicked in the $500,000 cash needed to secure a $5 million bond to release Nelson Pizarro, putting up a large portion of the money, sources told the New York Post.
“The fact that an individual who shot an NYPD detective is walking the streets of our city is a slap in the face to every dedicated member of law enforcement,” said Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detectives Endowment Association. “What’s more disgraceful is that former NFL player Ryan Grant funded the bail of an attempted cop-killer, drug dealer who pushes his deadly poison in our communities.”
Pizarro, 40, who had seven prior arrests in New York, was charged in January with shooting Detective Dominick Libretti in the leg during a drug bust at his New Springville home. Pizarro was not the target of the raid, but allegedly started shooting at officers from a bedroom with a 9 mm Beretta handgun.
Det. Libretti was hailed as a hero as he used a ballistic shield to protect himself and his team from the gunfire.
Grant, 40, is originally from Rockland County, NY. He played at Notre Dame and was with the Green Bay Packers for six seasons from 2007 to 2012.
