One off-duty New York City police officer has been put into an area hospital in critical condition in the wake of being shot in the head as a criminal carried out a robbery attempt this past Saturday evening, as reported by local authorities.
Having been identified as a 26-year-old and five-year veteran from the New York Police Department, the officer took a trip with a family member up to Ruby Street in Brooklyn to buy a car as part of a deal that had been arranged after talking on social media, officials explained throughout a Saturday evening news conference.
Once they got there, the suspect in question quickly brandished a gun and “announced a robbery,” leading to the two groups exchanging gunfire in which the off-duty NYPD cop was struck, explained the assistant chief of the NYPD Detective Bureau, Michael Baldassano.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell explained that the officer was taken out in critical condition to Brookdale Hospital. “Please keep this young officer in your prayers. He is currently fighting for his life,” explained Sewell.
Watch live as Police Commissioner Sewell & Mayor Adams provide an update on a police investigation in Brooklyn. https://t.co/CEIBPcvIP3
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Police officials called on the public for assistance in getting their hands on the suspects, who Baldassano claimed fled from the area directly after the shooting. He called on the public to speak up and call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS if they have any information regarding the shooting.
Baldassano also stated that, currently, police had “no reason to believe” the suspect knew the target of his attempted robbery was actually an off-duty police officer, but he made sure to explain that the shooting was still under heavy investigation.
Eric Adams, the Democratic Mayor of New York City, expressed that the wounded officer is a married man with children. “We will catch the person responsible for this act,” he vowed.
The relative who went along with the Off-duty police officer did not receive any injuries in the shootout, explained police, as reported by the New York Daily News.
The president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, Patrick Lynch, stated that legislators are just living in a “fantasy world” when they speak up about crime as if it was not real. “We’ve asked for help before. We’re asking and demanding help now,” he stated.
Kathy Hochul, the Democratic Governor of New York, also spoke out to issue her well wishes for the officer and directly denounced the scourge of gun violence.
“I am praying for the recovery of an off-duty [NYPD] officer who was shot during an attempted robbery last night,” stated Hochul in a tweet. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in our state. I will keep doing everything in my power to combat illegal gun trafficking and the gun violence epidemic.”
