An armed 50-year-old man who pointed his weapon at an NYPD sergeant was shot by police in Brooklyn Friday night after cops patrolling the neighborhood heard a gunshot Friday night.
Uniformed officers in two unmarked police vehicles driving near Flatlands Avenue and East 80th Street in Canarsie heard a single gunshot at around 9:45 p.m., Chief of Patrol Phillip Rivera said at a press conference early Saturday morning.
The officers then saw a man run out of a convenience store at 776 E. 80th Street and flee north, he added.
Two cops chased the unidentified suspect on foot while the others followed in their vehicles, Rivera said.
The officers verbally identified themselves and gave the suspect “numerous verbal commands to which he did not comply,” he said.
The man then took refuge behind a tree and pointed his gun at a uniformed sergeant, Rivera continued.
Four officers fired at the suspect, who was hit in the torso. He was taken into custody and given medical attention at the scene before being transported to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition.
The officers were taken to an area hospital for evaluation, Rivera said.
A firearm was recovered at the scene while a “ghost gun” was discovered inside the convenience store.
“Once again, our officers confronted a dangerous individual armed with a firearm and reacted without hesitation,” he said.
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“Due to their action further violence was prevented.”
The incident, which was captured on police bodycam and the store’s security camera, remains under investigation.
