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NYPD: 2 Officers, Suspect Injured In Brooklyn Shooting

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two police officers were shot during a confrontation with a suspect in Brooklyn early Saturday morning, according to police.

The shooting occurred on Malcolm X Boulevard in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn at around 3:20 a.m., CBS2's Ilana Gold reported.

According to police, the officers heard shots fired on Quincy Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. The suspect, identified as Jamal Funes, 34, pointed a revolver at police before taking off in a vehicle, driving the wrong way down the street, officials said.

Based on the preliminary review of the incident it appears "quite possible" that at least one of the officers could have been hit by another officer's bullet, possibly a ricochet. It cannot be definitely established until the forensic and ballistic tests are done, as reported by 1010 WINS' Roger Stern.

Both officers are expected to recover.

cop shootout suspect
Jamal Funes.

Funes crashed head-on into a responding police car on the corner of Lexington Avenue, officials said. Police then fired at the suspect as he was in his vehicle, hitting him several times, according to police.

"I heard like a million shots going off woke me out of my sleep, heard the crash too, bam!" one nearby resident told CBS2's Dave Carlin.

In total, it is believed there were eight police officers on the scene responding in separate vehicles, according to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. According to Bratton, several officers fired at the suspect, but it is still unclear who shot and how many officers fired their weapons.

Police sources have identified the injured police officers as William Reddin, of Lynbrook, and Andrew Yurkiw, of Wantagh.

Yurkiw suffered blunt-force trauma after being hit the chest. The bullet was blocked by a bullet-proof vest, Bratton said. Bratton noted that Yurkiw's father Officer Paul Yurkiw, was also saved by a bulletproof vest when he was shot on the job 27 years ago.

Reddin was shot in the hip, according to police.

Mayor Bill de Blasio accompanied Bratton to visit the officers as they recovered in the hospital Saturday morning.

"This incident certainly underscores the importance of the vests that we invest in for our police officers, and how we have to keep them safe in every way we can: giving them the best training, the best technology," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press conference Saturday morning. "And these officers pursued their work last night with vigor, with focus, these are very dedicated officers who were out there protecting us."

Funes was hit with at least one bullet and was taken to Brookdale Hospital as is in critical condition, according to police, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported. 

A .357 revolver and five spent bullet shell casings were recovered at the scene, according to police.

"This morning is a reminder of the important and dangerous and crucial work that our police officers do," de Blasio said a press conference Saturday morning.

It was not immediately known what prompted the shooting.

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