An off-duty cop shot in his left foot during an incident in Manhattanville on Saturday afternoon is expected to make a full recovery, it was reported.
Detectives are now looking for the suspect who pulled the trigger on the officer, who was the seventh NYPD member shot this year.
“I think the whole city is probably thankful that this incident wasn’t much worse,” NYPD Chief of Housing Jeffrey Maddrey said during a press conference at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where the officer was treated. “I’m just making a plea to all of our communities and citizens, and our officers. We all have to support one another. We have to stop this scourge of gun violence. We shouldn’t have to live like this.”
Based on the preliminary investigation, Maddrey reported, the incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 within the Manhattanville Houses, a public housing complex at 3250 Broadway, within the confines of the 26th Precinct.
According to the chief, the injured officer is assigned to the NYPD Housing Bureau in the Bronx, but was at the complex’s community center off-duty to attend a memorial vigil for a beloved community member that he knew.
As he headed out of the lobby, Maddrey reported, he observed two individuals exchanging gunfire outside before fleeing.
Officers from the 26th Precinct quickly responded to the location, and the off-duty officer was able to provide them with a physical description of the shooters.
But while doing so, Maddrey noted, the officer felt pain in his foot. Upon being examined by responding EMS units, he discovered that he had been shot twice in the left foot.
EMS rushed him to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he was treated and later released.
Meanwhile, the NYPD is continuing to search for the suspects involved in the shooting. Maddrey indicated the officer is not believed to have been the intended target, but the shooters may be linked to a reported dispute at the Manhattanville Houses earlier on Saturday.
Detectives are questioning witnesses and examining security camera footage to get a better description of the suspects, the chief noted. So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said.
But while the NYPD is relieved the injured officer will most likely make a full recovery, Maddrey said the latest shooting added to the pain the department has experienced so far in 2022. The shooting occurred just three days after Police Officer Wilbert Mora — the second of two 32nd Precinct officers fatally shot in Harlem on Jan. 21 — was laid to rest.
“We’re all suffering here. We see innocent people being shot,” Maddrey said. “We just sent home two of our beloved detectives. This is very painful. This is very hurtful. Our people in our communities, our neighborhoods, we shouldn’t have to live like this. We should be able to walk freely, we should be able to shop and do things we love. We shouldn’t have to worry about gun violence.”
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
