A police attempt to break up a group fighting in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon ended with an armed teen being shot in the leg by cops, NYPD confirmed.
According to Chief of Patrol John Chell, a sergeant and officers from the 67th Precinct attempted to break up a group of about eight young people fighting on Kings Highway and Rockaway Parkway in Brownsville at around 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 17. When the cops approached the crowd, a woman apparently dropped a bag while a 17-year-old on a razor scooter high-tailed it from police, momentarily evading authorities.
Although Chell did not comment on the contents or significance of the bag, the woman was taken into custody.
Meanwhile, a police officer spotted the 17-year-old emerging from a driveway and gave chase.
“As he turned a corner on East 96th Street and Clarkson Avenue, the male drops a 9mm purple firearm. As the male goes to pick up the gun, now face-to-face with our officer, he’s given repeated commands not to pick up the firearm, at which time he does,” Chief Chell said, adding that the situation unfolded in a matter of seconds.
The cop apparently fired a single round from about 15 feet away, striking the boy in the right thigh. Chell stated that police apprehended him before using a tourniquet to bind the wound, as confirmed by an eyewitness who watched the frantic scene unfold.
“I was inside the store, trying to get some items,” said James Williams. “I heard the shots and heard the sirens. He was bleeding heavy from the leg. They applied a tourniquet to the victim.”
The wounded young man was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is expected to survive. Police recovered the gun at the scene. The cop who fired his weapon was also transported to a local medical center as a precaution for ringing in the ears.
Chell highlighted that the Brownsville area is one of 74 Summer Violence Reduction Zones and sees cops patrolling the streets in an attempt to combat gun violence, which he charged was vital to contributing to a 30% drop in shootings this summer.
“This is exactly what we want our cops to be; to be proactive,” Chell said.
The investigation into what the youths were fighting over, and the contents of the bag, remains ongoing.
This story was updated at 6:18 p.m.
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