NYPD Detective Struck In Shoulder In Bushwick, Brooklyn Shooting
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An NYPD detective was wounded Tuesday evening in a Bushwick, Brooklyn shooting, and two suspects were being held afterward while the search continued for a third.
Police returned fire and wounded one of the suspects.
Around 6:15 p.m., an NYPD Narcotics detective and sergeant, both in plain clothes, were making an undercover heroin buy from two suspects in a car at Wilson Avenue and Troutman Street in Brooklyn, police officials said at the scene.
The officers identified themselves as police, and the suspect's vehicle backed up and struck a squad car, according to NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker.
The detective reached into the vehicle from the passenger's side and attempted to make an arrest, officials said. But with the officer partially inside the vehicle, the suspect accelerated forward and dragged the officer, Tucker said.
The sergeant and the detective then both fired their weapons and struck one suspect, officials said. The vehicle went on a short distance until it struck another vehicle, Tucker said.
"I just hear, like, gunshots; I'm like, what is that noise?" a witness said.
A photo provided exclusively to CBS2 showed the officer on the ground, while exclusive cellphone video captured the arrest of one of the three suspects.
The detective may have been struck by friendly fire, from colleagues, Tucker said.
"Based on the position of the two officers, it appears that the detectives may have been hit by crossfire," he told reporters, including 1010 WINS' Al Jones and WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini.
The officer was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital Center and was expected to survive, sources said. Police said the officer was conscious, alert and talking.
The suspect who was shot was wounded in the leg and wrist, and was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, sources said. The suspect was also expected to survive.
A total of four shots were fired, officials said. It was unclear if the suspects had a weapon or fired any shots.
A second person was also taken into custody at the scene and was not shot by police, officials said.
The man who was shot -- identified as Oscar Vera, 45 -- has 58 prior arrests, officials said. The second man who was apprehended -- identified as Geraldo Rodriguez, 51 -- has 17 prior arrests, officials said.
A third suspect, who was wearing a green hat, was still on the loose Tuesday night, sources said.
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, officers flooded Bushwick in search of the remaining suspect. K-9 units searched along the sidewalk for clues, and a team of SWAT officers checked the nearby Starr Street subway station.
A second narcotics officer was also taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center with ringing in the ears, police said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement following the incident.
"Tonight's shooting is an important reminder of the critical and dangerous work our police department does each day. Today, a detective put his life on the line as he bravely performed his duty to protect our city and its residents from harm," the mayor said in the statement. "The team of police officers involved in tonight's incident represents the best of the NYPD, and I want to thank them on behalf of our city for their actions tonight. We're grateful the detective is doing well, and we wish him a safe and swift recovery."
Late Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio came to Elmhurst Hospital Center to visit the injured officer, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
This was the sixth time since January that an NYPD officer has been shot in the line of duty.
On Sunday, Feb. 20, Officers William Reddin and Andrew Yurkiw were shot following a pursuit of a suspect in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
A bullet from Funes' gun struck Yurkiw in his bullet-resistant vest, while Reddin was wounded in the hip by a fragmented bullet, it has not been determined where it came from.
About two weeks earlier, officers Diara Cruz and Patrick Espeut were shot and wounded while on patrol in the Melrose Houses public housing development in the Bronx. Police said the gunman shot and killed himself soon after.
And in January, Officer Sherrod Stuart was wounded in the ankle, as another officer exchanged gunfire with a suspect during a large fight in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx.
