Yonkers Police Detail Attempted Suicide-By-Cop That Left Officer With Serious Injuries
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Yonkers police are shedding new light on an incident Monday that left an officer with serious injuries and a suspect shot in the leg.
On Tuesday, police released new details outlining what they call an attempted suicide-by-cop.
According to Yonkers Police, they received a 911 call at around 12:30 p.m. The caller claimed a man was waving a gun, and threatening people.
When police responded to third floor of 52 Main Street, a man shouted he had a gun. Police say the suspect was in fact unarmed, but had a "crude imitation pistol that he may have displayed to responding officers."
Police believe the same man they encountered was the one who called 911 in the first place.
Police released a recording of the 911 call on their Facebook page.
At one point in the incident, an officer fell from the third floor landing to the second floor landing 10 feet below. That officer suffered serious head, back and spine injuries.
Other officers opened fire, hitting the suspect once in the leg.
Both he and the officer were rushed to area hospitals.
Police say the suspect is 24 and charges are pending.
"Everyday, police officers in this country respond to thousands of incidents that have the potential for use of deadly force and are called upon to deal with any number of issues, increasingly with people in crisis. Upholding the sanctity of life remains paramount; thankfully in this incident the injuries are not life-threatening," said Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller.
