Newport Officer in Coma Since Shooting Dies

Newport Beach Police Officer Robert J. Henry died Thursday, a month after he was shot in the head during a struggle with a man intent on committing suicide, authorities said.

Henry, 30, a five-year veteran who leaves a wife and three children, had been in a coma since the shooting. He was surrounded by his family and close friends when he died at 9:45 a.m. at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.

“Bob will always be in our thoughts,” said Sgt. Andy Gonis, Police Department spokesman. “We will always support his family in his absence. In the past month, he has shown us a will to survive and shown us how many people care when a tragedy strikes.”

Henry is the 35th Orange County law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty.

The March 12 shooting in a church parking lot at first baffled police.

The body of the other man, Carlos Caicedo, 24, of Garden Grove, was found on top of the critically wounded officer.

“The physical evidence at the scene has led us to believe that this started out as a relatively normal police contact. Then there was a struggle,” said Christopher J. Evans, Orange County supervising district attorney.

Evans said that although lab test results and a coroner’s review are pending, the basic facts of the case aren’t expected to change.

“It appears plain from several aspects of the investigation that Mr. Caicedo, after shooting officer Henry, shot himself,” Evans said. “Prior to contacting Henry, he became intoxicated, wrote a suicide note, put a speed loader in his belt and went out into the night. It’s pretty plain what happened.”

*

On Thursday, the district attorney’s office also revealed that a suicide note, written in Spanish, was found on a night stand in Caicedo’s home. The note expressed his love for his family, stated that he could not go on, and asked for forgiveness.

Caicedo’s family had told police investigators that he had been despondent over a child custody battle.

Caicedo family members, who earlier had denied that the note found in the dead man’s room was a suicide note, declined to comment Thursday on the officer’s death.

There is no evidence that the two men knew each other nor that anyone else was involved. At the time of his death, Caicedo’s blood alcohol level was .16, double the legal limit for a motorist, Evans said.

An investigation found that Caicedo fired his own gun five times, critically wounding Henry and injuring his own wrist. But ballistics tests showed that Caicedo killed himself with the officer’s gun, which had been fired once.

Caicedo’s gun had a device that reloaded it automatically. He bought it in Anaheim on Jan. 21, the same day Henry received his five-year pin from the department.

Gonis said he hoped the district attorney’s preliminary report helped to ease the minds of both Henry’s and Caicedo’s families.

“We understand that two people died, and that two families are in grief,” Gonis said. “We hope that all the questions have been answered.”

The officer had remained comatose since the shooting, but his condition had improved enough for him to be moved out of the hospital’s intensive care unit. But Friday night, a blood clot developed in a lung, a common complication of acutely ill people who have had prolonged bed rest, hospital officials said.

Those complications led to cardiac arrest Thursday morning, according to the officer’s neurosurgeon.

At least a dozen people--family members, friends and Newport Beach Police Chief Robert J. McDonell--gathered in the lobby and in Henry’s hospital room Thursday morning to comfort each other and pay their last respects.

McDonell said in a statement, “The family and the department extend our most heartfelt gratitude to the thousands of people who have shared the grief of this tragedy, for all their support.”

Family members hugged each other but kept their composure as they walked to and from his room down a hospital corridor, accompanied by several plainclothes Newport Beach police officers.

Henry’s wife, Patty Henry, issued this statement: “The family is saddened that Bob is gone and thanks everyone for their kind thoughts, prayers and support.”

She and Henry were married in 1987. They have three children: Bobby, 6, Jenna, 2, and Alyssa, 2 months.

*

In the Newport Beach Police Department, flags flew at half staff Thursday, and officers wore black bands around their badges.

“A tragedy like this draws everyone together,” Officer Mark Miller said shortly after Henry’s death was announced. “The past month has really been a roller coaster, and we’ve been saying a lot of prayers. We really had our hopes up.”

Several officers interviewed Thursday said Henry’s monthlong struggle for life and their grim vigil had been difficult for the entire department, particularly after the officer’s condition worsened late last week.

“There is a sense of relief for his family that Bob is no longer suffering,” Gonis said. “Everyone is dealing with their grief in their own way and trying to support each other.”

Said officer Nan Van Horn, “It’s like a member of the family has been hit.”

Miller said Henry’s death has reminded the force of how precarious a police officer’s life can be.

The parking lot where Henry was shot, at Newport Harbor Lutheran Church on the west side of Upper Newport Bay, is frequently used by officers on patrol to catch up on paperwork and other duties between calls.

“We all accept the danger, but after so many years of doing it, the perception of danger gets to be less and less,” Miller said. “This makes you realize that you can’t take anything for granted.”

As he stood on the front steps of the police station, Miller reflected on the year Henry had been having before he was shot.

“On Jan. 21, he got his five-year pin,” Miller said. “Three weeks after that, his wife gave birth to their third child. All of those good things, then this had to happen.”

Officer Dan Crane, 25, Henry’s regular workout partner at the Police Department gym, said: “It’s been really tough on all of us. He was such a fine officer and a good friend. It’s just too bad. All I can say is that he was an overall super guy who always had a positive attitude.”

Henry had spent his entire life in California, attending St. Barbara Elementary School in Santa Ana and graduating from Mater Dei High School in 1983.

At Mater Dei, Henry was an above-average student and member of the student council. He was remembered as a hard-working athlete who was a backup linebacker on the football team and a weightlifter.

*

In a letter written shortly after the shooting, Patty Henry described her husband as someone who “enjoys working out, surfing, music and has a very strong faith.”

“Bob loves being a police officer and serving the community,” the letter said. “The only thing that came before this was his family. Bob has always been a genuine, loving, caring individual, who goes out of his way to help anyone, and can always bring a smile to your face.”

Henry also is survived by his parents, a sister and two brothers.

The Newport Beach Police Employees Assn. has created a fund for Henry and his family. In lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to: Sgt. Andy Gonis, NBPA/Robert Henry Fund, 870 Santa Barbara Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

Times staff writers Susan Marquez Owen and Diane Seo contributed to this story.