NYPD Officer Shot In Face In Critical Condition, Suspect In Custody
A New York Police Department (NYPD) plainclothes officer was reportedly shot in the face this evening in Queens and rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Officers quickly searched the scene and arrested a man that they believe fired the shots.
According to the New York Post, the anti-crime plainclothes police officer was on duty conducting vehicle stops at 212th St. and 104th Road when he noticed a man messing with something around his waistband.
The police officer got out of his car and started to approach the man, but was shot at several times, with one bullet reportedly hitting his cheek or head. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital in a patrol cruiser, where he’s listed in critical but non life-threatening condition.
A spokesperson for the NYPD states that a police officer was shot, yet the officer’s name is still undisclosed. The spokesperson did not confirm how many times the officer was shot or where exactly the bullets hit him.
Meanwhile, Demetrius Blackwell, 35, was arrested shortly after, in connection to the shootings. Court documents indicate that Blackwell served seven years at the Clinton Correctional Facility for attempted murder. He was released in 2008.
Very proud of the #NYPD for the rapid and professional investigation and apprehension of the shooter. pic.twitter.com/EpisoIObEK
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) May 3, 2015
The shooting resulted in a large manhunt for Blackwell, as police officers and a SWAT team swarmed throughout Queens, looking throughout the streets and on rooftops. One of the detectives on the scene indicated that they caught the shooter and had him in handcuffs.
“He shot him, but we got him. We have the shooter.”
Although the officer is expected to survive, the mayor’s office sent out a tweet shortly after the incident, asking for prayers and support.
“Please keep the injured police officer, his family, and the entire New York City Police Department in your thoughts tonight.”
The shooting comes just five months after two NYPD officers were killed a little over two weeks after the grand jury’s decision to not indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who placed Eric Gardner in a fatal choke hold.
The two officers, Wenjian Liu, 32, and Rafael Ramos, 40, were shot point blank in the head on Dec. 20, while sitting in their patrol cruiser in Brooklyn. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, jumped onto a subway platform after shooting the officer, killing himself almost instantly.
Prior to the shooting, Brinsley took to Instagram and stated he wanted to kill “two pigs” to get back at the police for Eric Garner’s death.
[Photo Courtesy of Andrew Burton/Stringer/Getty Images]
