Intense manhunt continues for gunman who shot NYPD Officer Brett Boller
NEW YORK -- An intense manhunt continued Thursday for the gunman who shot and injured a New York City police officer.
Multiple police agencies and politicians identified the officer as 22-year-old Brett Boller, who was shot in the hip and underwent surgery at Jamaica Hospital.
Boller, who is from Hauppauge, Long Island, graduated from the police academy in December and is expected to be OK. But doctors said the bullet did damage beyond his hip.
"We're very fortunate that he did come out of surgery. He is recovering. It will be lengthy, but we expect him to make a full recovery, so we're very thankful for that," said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
"We're devastated here in Hauppauge. Brett was a graduate in 2018. He was a three-sport athlete, and more than that he was a leader. He captained many of the teams that he played on," said Hauppauge Superintendent Don Murphy.
The suspect allegedly shot Boller when he and his partner responded to a dispute on an MTA bus in Jamaica, Queens on Wednesday afternoon. There is a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
"He should be considered armed and dangerous," said Sewell.
Cellphone video obtained by CBS2 shows the dramatic moments as Boller's fellow officers rushed to his rescue.
"He's only 22 years old. He actually went to college and could've chosen a different career, but had chosen to become a police officer and follow the footsteps of his dad," said Maryellen Bartz, Boller's neighbor.
According to police, Boller's partner fired back at the suspect, who kept running. The suspect changed his clothes in a parking garage at 161st Street and Hillside Avenue, but he has a distinctive tattoo that says "Jocelyn" on his left hand.
"As far as the perp's gun, we haven't recovered it. We have shell casings recovered, but no firearm was recovered," said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams stopped by the hospital to check on Boller. He also visited Wednesday and spoke with the officer's family.
Source told CBS2 Boller is expected to be in the hospital for several more days.
Boller's mother was seen walking out of their home in Hauppauge, but she did not want to speak on camera.
"He's a good kid," a neighbor said. "He chose to be a police officer, followed in the foot[steps] of his father. Wouldn't expect this to happen so early on."
"[Boller] was appointed to the police department in July of last year, assigned to this command in January of this year," Sewell said.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect was shot when Boller's partner fired back.
At a news conference about the city's crime statistics Thursday, the NYPD announced a troubling trend for police. The NYPD says there have been 150 more incidents of assault on NYPD officers so far this year than there were at this time last year.
"More police officers assaulted in New York City," said Michael Lipetri, NYPD chief of crime control strategies.
READ MORE: NYPD: Violent crime down in first 3 months of 2023
The department says while most violent crime is down, felony assaults are up about 9% compared to this time last year, and police say one major factor is an increase in assaults on officers.
"When I look at the reasons for that, it's clearly a perpetrator that has become more aggressive, but a New York City Police Department that has also increased its enforcement," Lipetri said.
Anyone with any information on Wednesday's shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
