Police: Shots fired at off-duty NYPD officer in Queens parking lot
NEW YORK -- Shots were fired at an off-duty NYPD officer and his parents Friday night during a trip to a convenience store in Queens, police say.
It happened just after 11 p.m. in a 7/11 parking lot near 43rd Street and Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside.
CBS2's Jennifer Bisram spoke exclusively with the officer's father, who did not want to be identified.
"Looks like a rifle," he said. "When I saw that, I said, 'The guy got a rifle,' and immediately that I say that, the guy shot two times."
The 71-year old says it happened after they left the store and were getting back into their vehicle. They bought a few beers, and it was a beer that may have saved their lives.
"I'm scared, and I think I jump out from the car and I got the beer in my hand and I throw it to the guy," the officer's father said. "I tried to distract the guy to not shoot more."
He says instead of firing more rounds, the gunman sped off in a gray minivan.
Police say the bullets hit the car, shattering the windows, barely missing the cop, his dad and his mother, who was sitting in the back seat.
"I don't understand why the guy shot us," the officer's father said.
Police sources say the off-duty officer was not the intended target. They believe the gunman may have been planning to rob the 7/11.
As the search for the gunman continues, the officer's father is being hailed a hero by his family.
"I think that in that situation, you don't think that you are a hero. You are a person that tried to do the best for finish the problem," the officer's father said.
Neighbors are disturbed.
"I never knew what a gunshot sounded like, but I was pretty sure it was a gunshot," neighbor Cathy Murphy said. "I'm still scared, but I've lived here for quite a while. I love the neighborhood."
The officer had several cuts on his hands and arms from the broken glass. He was taken to a local hospital, but is expected to be OK.
In the meantime, Investigators are reviewing surveillance video, and anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call police.