Young off-duty NYPD officer shot in the head while helping brother buy car from Facebook Marketplace ad
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A young NYPD officer was shot in the head while he was assisting his brother in purchasing a vehicle on Facebook Marketplace. The shootout, which took place on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at about 7 pm in Brooklyn, left the 26-year-old officer, who has not been publicly recognized, in critical condition.
Officials asserted that a heist was staged as part of the social media car advertisement posted on Facebook. When the officer and his brother arrived on the scene, the suspect instantly pulled out his firearm. The officer, a father of two, was gravely injured as a result of the gunfire encounter, and the suspect escaped. At a late-night press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated, "An officer conducting a simple errand and a dangerous person pulled out a firearm. We will catch the person responsible for this act." The New York Post reported that although the officer's brother was unharmed, he picked up the gun after the officer had collapsed and fired three shots as the suspect fled. A witness then dialed 911 after seeing the suspect shoot at someone in the distance.
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'Too many illegal guns are in the hands of bad people and doing bad things'
A resident stated, "I saw a person wearing a black hoodie, black top, and gray sweats shooting like he was ducking in front of a car outside my house. It looked like he was shooting back and forth at someone. [He] kept shooting... After the last shot, I saw him running towards McDonald's and I looked away," as reported by the New York Post.
New York City Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Mayor Eric Adams hold a press conference at Brookdale Hospital on the Off-Duty New York City Police Department Officer who was shot in the 75th Precinct on Ruby Road in Brooklyn, New York on February 4, 2023 pic.twitter.com/z4mVOT4UDY
— Kyle Mazza (@KyleMazzaWUNF) February 5, 2023
It wasn't until the resident saw an ambulance and a stretcher that she realized someone was hurt. Adams, who is certain that authorities will catch the suspect, criticized the number of guns that are illegally owned in the city. He stated, "As we see so far, and so often in the city, too many illegal guns are in the hands of bad people and doing bad things," adding that he spoke to the officer's distraught wife.
'We are at a hospital once again'
The shooting happened a few weeks after a teen in Brooklyn shot another police officer. At the press conference, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell stated, "We are at a hospital once again, awaiting news - This time for an off-duty NYPD officer.This appears to be an attempted robbery."
On January 17, an unmarked car driven by NYPD officer Paul Lee was shot at Prospect Avenue and East 183rd Street. Despite being shot, Lee rushed after the teenager while accompanied by an unharmed fellow cop. The 16-year-old shooter was arrested on the day Lee was discharged from the hospital.