NYPD: Officer Shot In Back In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An NYPD officer was shot in the Bronx on Tuesday.
It happened around 10:30 p.m. at Lafayette Avenue and White Plains Road in the Soundview section.
"Tonight's incident highlights the truly dangerous work that NYPD cops are exposed to every single day and night," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
Members assigned to the gun violence suppression division were driving along Lafayette Avenue toward White Plains Road when they "encountered a subject and initiated a stop," Shea said.
According to Shea, "in the course of seconds," it's believed the officer fired one round and the subject fired four rounds. The officer was struck one time in the lower back below his bulletproof vest.
The officer was taken to a local hospital in serious condition.
"He is in a lot of pain, but thankfully, we expect him to make a full recovery," Shea said.
Officials say the officer is 31 years old and has been with the NYPD for six and a half years.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said many of the officer's relatives are also members of the NYPD.
"Here is an officer, a young officer, out there on the streets of the Bronx getting guns off the streets to save lives. That's what he does. He's someone who goes out, puts his life on the line to protect other people in the most powerful way, by depriving criminals of their firearms," de Blasio said.
Shea says the suspect is 24 years old and has several arrests in New York City and a criminal record in New Jersey.
Stay with CBSNewYork.com and CBSN New York for the latest on this developing story.
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