One suspect is in police custody after two New York City police officers were shot and wounded half a mile apart on Saturday night and Sunday morning, in what officials are calling “assassination” attempts.
Police say that the suspect walked into the 41st precinct in New York City’s Bronx borough just before 8 a.m. Sunday and fired multiple rounds, wounding an officer. Police say that the same suspect is believed to have shot and wounded another police officer in a targeted shooting on Saturday evening.
In the first incident, an officer was struck in the chin and the neck, with the bullet nearly striking his carotid artery, The officer’s partner was able to help transport him to the hospital, and the wounded officer is expected to be released from the hospital on Sunday. The next morning, at about 7:56 a.m., the same suspect walked into the 41st precinct and pulled out a 9 mm Sauer gun. The suspect opened fire at several officers behind a desk, striking a male officer in the upper left arm, and then walked to an area near the desk and opened fire on officers and a civilian member of the police department. The second police officer wounded is being treated for his injuries, but is expected to fully recover.
During a press conference on Sunday, NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea characterized the shootings as “assassination” attempts against police officers. Shea did not release the suspect’s name, but said he has a long history of violence, including a conviction for a 2002 incident where he shot someone in the Bronx, carjacked a woman, crashed her vehicle and then engaged in a gunfight with police, Shea said. He was convicted for attempted murder, and was paroled in 2017, Shea said. The suspect was later charged with another crime, and was scheduled for a court date.
Editorial credit: BrandonKleinVideo / Shutterstock.com