Shots Fired In Confrontation Between Officer, Suspect In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Shots were fired late Wednesday in a confrontation between a police officer and a suspect in a Bronx community – dangerously close to where kids were playing.
Hearing those gunshots go off was scary for people in the community because of what is in the surrounding area -- a church, a daycare and a ballfield where children were practicing football at the time of the incident.
It was right after dinnertime when neighbors said they heard a gun go off and then saw police swarm the streets, fencing off the area around Clinton Avenue and Crotona Park north in the Bronx.
CBS2 learned it started with an incident between an off-duty police officer and a man who tried to rob him.
Only feet away from the dramatic scene was the park where children ages 5 and up were practicing for their youth football league. CBS2's Layton spoke with their coach who was scared for their safety.
"After we heard the loud bang and you know, and then we started seeing the police officers, we decided to cancel practice and you know, take the kids home," said Steven Berry of Crotona Park. "To have something like this go down so close to the field, kind of nerve-racking."
"I was in the house and heard one very loud gunshot, and when I looked out the window maybe a minute and a half later, the block was flooded with policemen," said Carol Jackson of Crotona Park.
Police late Wednesday were being quiet about the details of exactly what happened. CBS2 was told detectives would be on the scene collecting evidence into the early morning hours on Thursday.