Search On For Suspects After Gunfire Narrowly Misses Cops In Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on Wednesday for four suspects who police said opened fire on a street in Brooklyn, narrowly missing two officers on patrol.
Police said the four men drove off in a dark sedan around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday after firing at the corner of 23rd Street and Ditmas Avenue in Ditmas Park.
Two uniformed police officers were patrolling the block on foot at the time of the shooting.
Initial reports were that the cops were a target of a drive-by. But investigators now do not believe they were the intended target, CBS2's Ali Bauman reported.
"They were not shot at -- let's clarify that," NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said. "Our investigation determined that they were not the subject of the shooting."
Police said the officers were not injured and did not fire back.
Community Activist Tony Herbert and several Brooklyn clergy members came by the scene Wednesday morning where an evidence marker sat near a shell casing, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
"We will not tolerate guns going off in our community," Herbert said.
Residents were on edge overnight for their own safety in the neighborhood.
"I just came out to do my laundry and before coming out, I heard some helicopter activity and I was a little concerned," said nearby resident Shelley Worrell. "But I still decided to come out because it could be normal in Brooklyn to hear helicopters around and yeah, just seeing all this activity is very disturbing."
Adding to that, a man in a similar car made the gesture of shooting a gun with his hands in front of the 66th precinct earlier in the day, but police said the two incidents are unrelated, 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman reported.
The incident comes as anxiety is high among law enforcement following the recent fatal shootings of cops in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
"We're praying for unity and were praying the community will recognize law enforcement is part of our community and need to be respected," Bishop Gerald Seabrooks said.
Herbert said just because the officers in Brooklyn weren't the intended target, that doesn't mean there isn't the same tension between the black community and police. He is calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to step up and help heal the divide.
"There is a lot of tension because nobody is talking to each other," he said. "And I got to say this honestly, there are people trying to make that happen but the responsibility is on these elected officials and this mayor to take the lead and show real leadership."
So far, there are no arrests. The investigation is ongoing.
