By Seamus McGraw
In the months before Lillo Brancato was wounded in a shoot-out during a botched burglary that left his alleged accomplice injured and claimed the life of an off-duty New York police officer, the troubled actor and occasional hard guy had been plagued by demons.
The 29-year-old actor who catapulted to fame as a teen in the Robert DeNiro film "A Bronx Tale," and later played a recurring role as a mob wannabe on the hit television series "The Sopranos" had hit the skids. He reportedly had a hard time finding work and, by all accounts, had been battling drug problems. He was arrested in June on charges of heroin possession in his hometown of Yonkers, authorities said. Months earlier, he had charged with being under the influence of drugs while on a visit to Southern California.
And less than two days before the shooting, Brancato had been arrested on disorderly person's charges after showing up at the home of his estranged girlfriend she was also his alleged accomplice's daughter. In what may have been a drug-fueled rage, Brancato pounded on her door and demanded to speak with her. By the time Yonkers police arrived, according to published reports, the young actor was sitting in the street, cursing and raving, and haughtily asking police, "do you know who I am?"
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