- An off-duty NYPD officer was shot in the head on Saturday evening during an attempted robbery while in the process of purchasing a vehicle through social media.
- The officer, who is 26 years old and has served five years on the police force, remains in critical condition. The suspect in the shooting remains at large and is described as a dark-skinned man with a beard.
- This shooting marks the second incident of an NYPD officer being shot in less than three weeks, and authorities are investigating whether it may be linked to similar robberies that have recently occurred. The public is urged to provide information to the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline.
An off-duty NYPD officer who was struck by a bullet in the head Saturday night is now fighting for his life after a robbery attempt gone wrong, authorities reported.
The shooting occurred on the 400 block of Ruby Street in Brooklyn around 7:00 p.m.
“This appears to be an attempted robbery during an attempt to purchase a vehicle,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell stated at a press conference, adding that he was fighting for his life.
NYPD officials released that the officer was purchasing a vehicle after a deal made through social media when the alleged seller pulled out his guns and told him it was a robbery, which caused an exchange of gunfire between the officer and the criminals.
As of this Sunday, the officer, 26, with five years in the police force, remains in critical condition.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, who did not release the victim’s name, he is married and has children.
The suspect in the shooting remains at large. According to officials, the gunmen did not know the victim was with the NYPD, and detectives do not believe he played a role during the shooting.
“We will catch the person responsible for this act,” said Mayor Adams.
Also, investigators are examining communications between the seller of the vehicle and the officer for his whereabouts, sources said.
The offender was described as a dark-skinned man with a beard, dressed in a black sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. He fled in a black car with tinted windows, the police sources said.
Separately, police helicopters were summoned to join the search for the suspect and his vehicle. Traffic was blocked and the area around the scene was closed on Saturday night, Daily News reported.
Senior police sources told News 4 that authorities are investigating whether this may be linked to similar robberies that have occurred recently.
This would be the second shooting of an NYPD officer in less than three weeks, following an incident on January 17 in the Bronx. The officer in this case, who was on patrol, was shot in the arm by a 16-year-old alleged shooter.
Anyone in the public with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip through their website or via DM on the social networking site Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.