Risking their own lives, Queens cops cuffed an active shooter and saved the life of a gunshot victim during a chaotic scene on a crowded street on Wednesday morning, police said.
Lieutenant John McGivney from the 103rd Precinct’s Jamaica Business Improvement District (BID) unit and the cops involved in the dramatic incident spoke to amNewYork Metro about the moment shots started flying in the heart of Downtown Jamaica.
According to McGivney, about five officers rushed to Sutphin Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue at around 11:09 a.m. after several 911 calls reported that a man had fired a gun, wounding another man.
“As they were approaching, people in the street were pointing where the shots came from and then were pointing out who the shooter was,” McGivney said.
Johniel March, a cop with the BID unit and military veteran, spied the 44-year-old alleged shooter, Gerard Boyce, placing the weapon in his waistband. Although March and the other cops had their guns drawn, they were able to swiftly approach him and bring him to the ground where they were able to cuff him without firing a shot.
“It’s a very crowded, chaotic scene—a lot of cars, a lot of people. Behind the perpetrator was a commercial storefront. The firearm control on display by these officers was absolutely fantastic. They were able to put this gentleman into custody, recover a loaded firearm, with no injuries to anyone suffered at the hands of the police,” McGivney said.
Several other officers from the 103rd Precinct arrived at the scene where they began aiding the 55-year-old victim who had been shot twice by the assailant after he filed four shots.
“We identified the victim had multiple gunshot wounds. I noticed there were bleeds from his left arm to shoulder area that was bleeding substantially,” responding Officer Robert Hallock recalled. “I quickly took the tourniquet out of my pocket and applied it to his arm, which slowed the bleeding. We then took his shirt and applied it to the actual wounds.”
EMS rushed the victim who was reportedly in and out of consciousness to Jamaica Medical Center, where he is expected to survive.
The BID unit has officers assigned to Jamaica commercial corridor each day to combat retail theft, gang activity, and robbery patterns. Several officers involved in responding to this incident also responded to the shooting spree in Queens last month, according to McGivney. Lieutenant championed his officers’ actions, believing without a doubt they saved lives.
“In the space of six weeks, officers from 103 Patrol. 113 Patrol, huge team effort, put two separate gunmen who shot people into custody without further injury or incident or any shots fired by anyone. Which is just amazing work,” Mcgivney said.
Boyce is charged with attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession a weapon. It is unclear why the shots were fired.
