A man who was accused of breaking into a car in the Bronx is in crucial condition after being shot by police during a confrontation this past weekend.
ABC 7 reports the incident occurred this past Sunday around 7 p.m. on West 166th Street and Ogden Avenue in Highbridge. The man, who police say is in his 50s, was immediately taken to Lincoln Hospital. The officers were reportedly in the area patrolling as a part of the department’s plan to reduce the area’s shootings.
While there, police noticed the man trying to break into a car. When officers tried to arrest him, he allegedly resisted. “The officers were equipped with body-worn cameras which were both on, and it captures the suspect saying, and I quote, ‘I have a gun, (expletive), die,'” NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said. Officers say the man put up a fight as soon as they approached him. “When the guy was on the floor, he was still resisting arrest,” witness Mercedes Escoto said. “That’s when the other one took the gun, and he shoots him twice.”
One officer fired two shots; one hit the suspect in the arm. A 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene, according to ABC 7. However, residents of the neighborhood are concerned with why the man was shot while he was being held down. “Audio from the body worn camera of the officer captures him stating to other officers that the suspect had placed the gun to his chest,” Monahan said.
The suspect was taken into surgery at the hospital and is expected to recover. Both of the officers were unharmed. Charges for the man are pending. The story is still developing.
