On Friday night, police shot and killed an armed 50-year-old man who pointed a gun at an NYPD sergeant after officers patrolling a neighborhood in Brooklyn heard gunshots.
Uniformed officers in two unmarked police vehicles driving near Flatlands Avenue and East 80th Street in Canarsie heard a single gunshot around 9:45 p.m., Patrol Chief Philip Rivera said. said. He said this at a press conference early Saturday morning..
Officers then saw a man jump out of the convenience store at 776 East 80th Street and flee northbound, police said.
Rivera said two officers pursued the unidentified suspect on foot, while the other officer pursued him in a vehicle.
The officers verbally identified themselves and gave the suspect “numerous verbal commands, but the suspect did not comply.”
The man then took shelter behind a tree and pointed the gun at a uniformed sergeant, Rivera continued.
Four officers fired at the suspect, hitting him in the torso. He was taken into custody and treated 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, and a “ghost gun” was found inside the convenience store.
“Once again, our law enforcement officers were confronted with a dangerous individual armed with a firearm and they responded without hesitation.”
“Thanks to their actions, further violence was prevented.”
The incident was recorded on police body cameras and security cameras inside the store, and remains under investigation.
