Sources: Person In Custody In Shooting Of Off-Duty NYPD Officer In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A person was in police custody late Wednesday in connection with the shooting of an off-duty NYPD officer in New Lots, Brooklyn a night earlier, sources told CBS2.
The person was being questioned Wednesday evening, and no charges had been issued, sources said.
The officer, identified as Tramaine Oxley, was recovering Wednesday after being wounded in Brooklyn as he sat as a passenger in an SUV with members of his family.
Police said the confrontation began around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday along a residential block of Bradford Street near the intersection of Linden Boulevard in East New York.
Oxley had just left a basketball tournament at a nearby park when police said two men came up to the family's Range Rover, threatening them at gunpoint.
"Right now, it looks like it's just a straight-up robbery," Chief of Department James O'Neill said Wednesday.
Investigators said the Range Rover's driver tried to make a U-turn on Linden in an attempt to get away. At the same time, the suspects were said to be in the middle of the street. One suspect began firing and the officer responded by firing four rounds.
Neighbors described ducking for cover as shots rang out.
"When I looked out, everyone was down on the ground," a woman named "Linda" told CBS2's Janelle Burrell.
The officer was struck in the right arm and suffering a graze wound to the torso, police said. His cousin drove him to Brookdale Hospital where he was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday morning, the Range Rover, covered in what appeared to be a heavy coating of fingerprint dust, was seen leaving Brookdale Hospital on a flatbed tow truck, WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported.
With blocks of Linden Boulevard shut down in every direction, a large force of officers and detectives went back to the scene to hunt for evidence.
The police presence was an unsettling sight for people who live in the area.
"There's been major crimes in this area here this summer and I haven't seen a police presence like this, as many streets just blocked off," a man named "Anthony" said.
"Whoever it is, I hope they find him and nobody else gets hurt," Linda added.
Oxley is an eight-year veteran of the NYPD and works as a housing cop, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
Police describe the suspects' car as a dark 2006 to 2010 BMW with a partial New York plate of "AA."
"There was a lot of commotion. The suspects were seen standing in the middle of the street. Someone saw something. Someone recognized them. Someone saw the license plate on that BMW," said Joshn Provetto, director of operations for COP SHOT (Citizens Outraged at Police Being Shot), which had been offering a $10,000 reward.