Police: Off-Duty Officer Fatally Shoots Armed Robbery Suspect In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An armed robbery suspect who was trying to hold up a gas station in Brooklyn was shot and killed by an off-duty officer Monday night, the NYPD said.
The incident happened at around 10:30 p.m. at a gas station on Remsen Avenue.
Police said a station attendant was pumping gas into the officer's personal vehicle when two suspects walked up, both armed with a gun.
One of the suspects went inside the station's booth to rob the clerk while the other stayed outside and told the officer and the attendant not to move, police said.
As the two suspects began to leave, investigators said the off-duty cop identified himself as an officer and told them to stop.
"The two suspects turned around towards the officer with the guns in their hands," Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison said. "The officer discharged his firearm, striking one of the suspects in the torso and the second suspect fled the location heading westbound on Avenue D."
The suspect who was shot, later identified by police as 19-year-old William Simon, was rushed to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police released a photo of a .44 caliber revolver they say was recovered on the ground.
The search was on Tuesday for the second suspect. As the investigation continues, neighbors are relieved to know officers are always on the job.
"I'm proud of this police officer, hold his head up high, nothing to be ashamed of," one resident told CBS2's Magdalena Doris. "Good job. You know what, it could have been the other way around."
The off-duty officer is 40 years old and works in the NYPD's Intelligence Department.