Holly MatkinBrooklyn, NY – A New York police officer was shot three times while responding to a report of shots fired in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Wednesday night.
The initial call of gunfire came in at approximately 11:11 p.m. in the area of Broadway and Madison Street, New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Dermot Shea said during a press conference early Thursday morning.
Police said surveillance footage showed a male suspect running up to an SUV occupied by three men and opening fire into it, The New York Times reported.
Investigators later located five shell casings at the scene, according to WCBS.
The SUV sped off and crashed a short distance away.
Police said the men inside the SUV are all known gang members with open gun cases and extensive criminal histories, WCBS reported.
Those open cases included pending gun possession charges for which they were released without bail, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig told the New York Daily News.
One of the vehicle occupants was uninjured in the attack.
A second occupant, 21-year-old Malik Lucas, was transported to the hospital with a gunshot wound and remained in critical condition early Thursday morning, police said.
The third occupant, 28-year-old Robert Randall, was transported to Woodhull Hospital, where he died, the New York Daily News reported.
NYPD learned about the deadly altercation between the two gangs due to ShotSpotter and dispatched a sergeant and two officers from the 83rd Precinct to the area, Commissioner Shea said.
Commissioner Shea said the officers and the sergeant were all in uniform inside an unmarked patrol vehicle when they spotted a man walking “briskly” near Saratoga Park at about 11:15 p.m., WCBS reported.
Police said bodycam footage showed the suspect didn’t say a word and immediately began shooting at them when they got out of their vehicle to talk to him, WCBS reported.
The officers returned fire, hitting the 26-year-old gunman in the leg.
One of the officers was shot in the leg, buttocks, and ballistic vest during the exchange of gunfire, police said.
The 28-year-old officer fired nine rounds at his attacker, while the second officer fired 12 times, WCBS reported.
The sergeant did not return fire.
The wounded gunman was taken into custody and transported to the hospital.
Commissioner Shea said the shooter is a known gang member, WCBS reported.
He has been identified by the New York Daily Times as Young Stackers gang member Boyce Hayward.
Law enforcement sources identify the suspect in last night’s shooting of an NYPD officer as Boyce Hayward. Police say he’s a known gang member. @fox5ny pic.twitter.com/oYdUQkfszd
— Robert Moses (@RobertMosesFox5) May 13, 2021
The wounded officer was rushed to Kings County Hospital for treatment of his gunshot wounds.
Commissioner Shea said the officer’s ballistic vest probably saved his life, WCBS reported.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
BREAKING: Police say an NYPD officer has been hospitalized after being shot multiple times in BKLYN.
NYPD says it appears the cop was shot in the aftermath of a deadly fight between two gangs. His bulletproof vest likely saved his life. Latest on @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/IjAF6maPxw
— John Dias (@JohnBDias) May 13, 2021
The officer who was wounded in the attack is married, according to the New York Daily News.
His brother is an NYPD 19th Precinct sergeant, and his father is a retired NYPD Brooklyn detective, according to the paper.
Investigators did not confirm that the suspect who shot the officer is the same suspect who attacked the SUV, WCBS reported.
The gun the shooter used in the attack on the officers was recovered at the scene, Commissioner Shea noted.
Below is a picture of the gun that was recovered from the suspect in tonight’s shooting. pic.twitter.com/VBlhhWvdOu
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 13, 2021
No civilians were injured during the shootout, although multiple vehicles parked in the area were riddled with bullets, the New York Daily News reported.
One person hid inside their SUV as at least one bullet hit their vehicle, according to the news outlet.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said during the incident was a striking example of “extraordinary bravery.”
“Thank God the individual who turned on our officers is clearly going to be brought to justice,” he said during the press conference. “I want to honor these officers for the way they did their work tonight.”
Police Benevolent Association Pat Lynch lashed out at lawmakers during the press conference, noting that recent changes they’ve enacted are putting officers at risk and causing gun violence to soar.
Lynch said he’s tired of the “nonsense narrative that police are the problem.”
“We are the solution,” he said.
Lynch said things could have turned out very differently if the officers hadn’t been there to stop the gunman.
“What would have happened? Would there be another crime scene if these police officers didn’t come upon and put themselves at risk and get shot?” he asked.
“It’s not a coincidence that shootings are up in the number and the percentages that they are directly after they changed the rules and laws that allow us to do the job,” Lynch said. “It has to stop now. We’ve said it before, I’ve said it before. Now’s the time. We have to stop coming to this hospital and thanking God that we’re alive.”
