NYPD: Bronx Graffiti Suspect Shot By Police After Opening Fire On Officers During Arrest; 2nd Suspect On The Run
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A suspect is hospitalized in grave condition after police said he opened fire on three officers in the Melrose section of the Bronx on Sunday.
A second suspect is on the run, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
The NYPD said a sergeant and two officers were patrolling 3rd Avenue and 153rd Street at around 12:30 a.m. when they saw two men spray painting graffiti on a storefront. The officers approached the men, but they took off running, according to police.
Officers were eventually able to chase one of them down. But the 18-year-old suspect allegedly pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired at least three rounds at the officers who were trying to arrest him.
Police returned fire, striking the man multiple times. He remains in grave condition at Lincoln Hospital.
Police said they recovered the suspect's weapon.
"A .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the scene of the shooting. The suspect's gun does appear to have been shot and damaged during the exchange of gunfire," said NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan.
"Somebody was shooting at the police and they shoot back. Somebody got injured," said Jacob Eagoub, owner of E and Z Electronics Corp.
Eagoub's store is at the corner Elton Avenue and East 153rd Street, where the incident happened, but the angle of his surveillance cameras failed to capture the one suspect shooting or getting shot or the second suspect running away, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
At the 40th Precinct station, Monahan said he personally viewed footage from the three officers' body-worn cameras.
"Tonight's shooting underscores the dangers our brave cops face every day as they keep people in the city safe. Whether they are stopping someone who is making graffiti or responding to a known shooting, there are just way too many guns out on the streets nowadays," Monahan said.
Some neighbors said they feel plagued by lawlessness and violence.
"I really don't come out like I used to, only maybe to go food shopping, doctor's appointment and I'm right back inside and that's where I stay," one woman said.
The type of graffiti, itself, or the spray paint could help investigators find the second suspect.
The three officers involved in the shooting were not hurt.
CBS2's Christina Fan contributed to this report.
