SUNY professor blames local police for ‘murder’ of suspect who attacked them

"This was a wellness check — why didn't they de-escalate the situation," Professor Anna Hayward posted on an update regarding the conditions of the officers posted on the Stony Brook Medicine Instagram page, according to the New York Post.

"Why did a man have to die? What about the man they murdered?" Hayward commented further.

The Suffolk County officers arrived at the home in response to a call that the suspect was threatening his roommate with a fire extinguisher. At some point after their arrival, the suspect turned a knife on the officers.

The man attacked two of the officers, injuring them both. A third officer also sustained minor injuries during the altercation, in which one of the officers fatally shot the suspect in self-defense.

The two severely injured officers were transported to Stony Brook Hospital, where one of them is in critical condition.

Lou Civello, vice president of the Suffolk County PBA, strongly denounced Haywood's comments.

"While a Suffolk County Police Officer fights for his life after being stabbed in the neck an anti-police Professor slanderously referred to him and his partner as murderers," Civello told the Post on Monday.

"Stony Brook University Professor Dr. Anna Hayward displayed a stunning level of ignorance when she callously commented on Stony Brook's official page denouncing the police, and condemning the actions of these hero cops who stopped an armed criminal and saved others from harm," he followed.

Civello called on the University to denounce Hayward's comments, while praising the staff of Stony Brook hospital for their work in treating the two officers.

"Stony Brook University must denounce Dr. Hayward's hateful comments and should put an end to the harmful anti-police bias in their program," he said. "Stony Brook University Medical Center's outstanding care performed a miracle in saving these Police Officers' lives. It’s shameful that Dr. Hayward would sully the reputation of the entire Stony Brook community with her anti-police rhetoric."

Stony Brook University responded in a statement on Monday that said, "We appreciate the members of law enforcement who work to keep our community safe and we are proud of our doctors at Stony Brook Medicine for the quality medical care they provided the injured officers; we wish them a speedy recovery. The comments made online were from what appears to be a faculty member's private account that is not affiliated with Stony Brook University."