WABC via CNN(CNN) - An off-duty New York Police Department sergeant has died by suicide, becoming the 10th NYPD member to do so this year, an NYPD representative said Wednesday. The sergeant, found in his residence, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the representative said. Of the 10 NYPD officer suicides in 2019, eight have happened since June. The cluster rattled the department, with leaders trying to come up with a way to tell the rank and file that it's OK to ask for help. Over the past five years, the NYPD has averaged between four and five suicides a year, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said in June at a news conference called after the department surpassed its average.

WABC via CNNNEW YORK (CNN) - Police say the fatal shooting of a New York Police Department officer was the result of friendly fire. Mulkeen's partners fired 10 rounds, two of which struck officer Mulkeen, O'Neill said. Mulkeen had served on the NYPD for over six and a half years and lived in Yorktown Heights with his girlfriend, who is also an NYPD officer. Second friendly-fire death this year for NYPDMulkeen is the second NYPD officer to be shot and killed on the street this year. In addition, nine NYPD officers have died by suicide this year, a cluster that has rattled the department.

Kizzy Adonis will lose 20 vacation days, according to the source, for her actions related to the 2014 incident in which another officer was found to have placed Garner in a banned chokehold moments before he died. "The Police Commissioner evaluated Sergeant Adonis' supervision of officers under her command that day, and found that it was lacking in certain areas," NYPD Assistant Commissioner Devora Kaye told CNN on Wednesday in a statement. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader who has advocated with the Garner family, called the decision to dock Adonis' vacation time "too little, too late." Garner, a 43-year-old father of six, died while police tried to arrest him for allegedly selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island. In video of the arrest, Garner can be heard telling Pantaleo, "I can't breathe.

CNN VideoALBANY, N.Y. - New York students may soon have to learn about swastikas and nooses as part of their curriculum. Democratic state Sen. Todd Kaminsky has introduced a measure that requires lessons on hate symbols to be part of the student curriculum in grades six through 12. Kaminsky said the measure is in response to the spike in hate crimes nationwide. Nationwide, the list of hate crimes just keeps getting longer. "The rise of antisemitic and racist acts rights here in Nassau County is deeply troubling," Kaminsky said on Facebook Tuesday.

WABC via CNN(CNN) - Another New York Police Department officer has died by suicide -- becoming the eighth to do so this year -- a law enforcement official told CNN. The 35-year-old was a seven-year veteran who temporarily was assigned to a detail surrounding Yankee Stadium. The officer left a note behind, the law enforcement official said. He was off-duty at the time, two law enforcement sources told CNN. Of the eight NYPD officer suicides, six have happened since June.

David McNew/Getty Images(CNN) - Can you imagine a world without Joshua trees? The June study by University of California-Riverside scientists blames severe drought due to climate change for the possible extinction of these hearty American desert trees. According to the study, it was originally designed for monitoring vegetation and animal community changes across Joshua Tree National Park east of Los Angeles. The scientists acknowledge that there are other factors that could hinder the longevity of the Joshua Tree apart from climate change. The scientists hope finding ways to decrease carbon emissions will help keep the Joshua trees around for centuries to come.

WCBS via CNN(CNN) - A dump truck struck two New Jersey state troopers and multiple pedestrians in West Orange, New Jersey, on Tuesday morning, police said. Aerial video of the scene from CNN affiliate WABC shows the dump truck on its side along the right guardrail on I-280. An ambulance in front of the dump truck is smashed up against the back of a fire engine, which is resting against the right guardrail. The crash was on I-280 eastbound, West Orange public information officer Joe Fagan said. Sheila Oliver said she had visited the injured state troopers in the hospital.

WABC via CNN(CNN) - Multiple people were shot in Brooklyn Saturday night, the New York Police Department said. The shooting took place in Brownsville, a neighborhood in east Brooklyn. At least six people have been injured, a New York Fire Department spokesperson told CNN. We will do everything in our power to keep this community safe and get guns off our streets," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted shortly after midnight. Officials are working to determine the exact number of people shot and their injuries, Navarro said.

WABC via CNN(CNN) - A New York Police Department sergeant died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday afternoon, a law enforcement source told CNN. More than 100 law enforcement officers in the United States have taken their own lives in 2019, Chief of Department Terence Monahan said in June. But there are several barriers preventing first responders from accessing mental health services, "including shame and stigma," the paper states. "We need to end the silence that surrounds the issue of first responder mental health. "Also, departments should encourage or require first responders to access mental health services annually.

WABC via CNN(CNN) - Twin 1-year-old babies died Friday after they were left in a car for eight hours in New York, police said. The children's 39-year-old father was taken into custody for questioning, the NYPD said. While the twins were in the car, the father was at work at a nearby VA hospital, officials said. Friday's temperatures in the area reached a high of the mid-80s, according to the National Weather Service. The New York City Medical Examiner will determine the twins' cause of death, police said.