Lieut. Gilligan Rescues Epileptic

June 2, 1965 - Lieut. Thomas Gilligan (pictured), whose fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Negro was widely believed to have touched off six nights of rioting in Harlem and the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn last summer, went to the aid of a Negro man this afternoon when the man collapsed on Broadway near 67th Street and suffered an epileptic attack.

According to the police, Lieut. Gilligan was driving to his post in an undisclosed precinct when he saw Allen Hopwood, 36, seized by the fit. The policeman, in civilian clothes, stopped his car and helped Mr. Hopwood, who is unemployed and lives at 330 W. 85th St.

Lieut. Gilligan, the police said, first removed a spoon that had been placed in Mr. Hopwood’s mouth by a bystander. He then ordered some passersby to get cold water from a nearby restaurant. After that, Lieut. Gilligan performed artificial respiration and massaged Mr. Hopwood.

When a patrol car of the West 54th Street Precinct and an ambulance from Roosevelt Hospital arrived, Lieut. Gilligan left for work. He was unavailable for comment.

Mr. Hopwood was treated at the hospital for what was called a “seizure disorder” and released later.

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