Two plainclothes New York City police officers were shot and wounded in the Bronx late Monday night while responding to a robbery at a grocery store, police said.
Police said the shooting occurred in the Fordham area in the west Bronx at about 10:30 p.m. local time. A 30-year-old officer was shot in the back and a 38-year-old officer was shot in the arm. They were transported to St. Barnabas Hospital and were expected to survive. Both were listed in stable condition.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) arrived at the hospital just after midnight Tuesday morning.
“This is another indicator of the dangers our officers face in the line of duty,” de Blasio said at an early morning news conference. “Thank God, these officers will recover.”
The two officers, whose names have not been released, responded to a call about a robbery at a grocery store and saw two suspects who matched the alleged robbers’ description. When the officers identified themselves, one suspect who was inside a Chinese restaurant came outside and starting shooting, Police Commissioner William Bratton said, according to CNN.
Both officers were wounded in the exchange. Bratton said one of the suspects may have also been hit.
The suspects then fled on foot and hijacked a car from two women. The vehicle as well as a handgun were later recovered.
The suspects, both described as Hispanic, are still at large. The organization COP SHOT (Citizens Outraged at Police Being Shot) is offering a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction.
“This was a rough neighborhood in the 90s and it still is today,” John Cardillo, a former officer who has patrolled the area, told CNN. “Robberies were common when I worked there and there were many shootings. Armed bad guys with the propensity to shoot someone.”
No comments:
Post a Comment