New Rochelle to honor officer slain in 1977 shooting spree
Former New Rochelle Police Officer Allen B. McLeod, brutally murdered 41 years ago, will be honored with a secondary street name. The idea was initially a request to the City Manager and City Council by the New Rochelle Police Association to designate a secondary name, “Police Officer Allen B. McLeod Way”, for Nardozzi Place. It was then referred to the Historical & Landmark Review Board for further approval. This past Wednesday, on the 41st anniversary of the incident, The HLRB voted to approve of the designation.
It was February 14th, 1977 when Frederick W. Cowan invaded his workplace at the Neptune World Moving Company in New Rochelle, New York following a temporary suspension. During the invasion, he gunned down three workers, including one that tried to escape. Officer McLeod was the first to arrive on the scene of the incident and was then fatally shot from the second floor of the warehouse by Cowan. Cowan went on to shoot another worker before barricading himself inside of an office as he continued to fire at other officers from the windows. The 10-hour siege ended when Cowan turned the gun on himself.
Officer Mcleod, 33, was a six year NRPD veteran and a father of two.
