Queens cops and an armed robber traded gunfire in a shootout on a busy shopping strip Tuesday night, leaving an officer wounded and the suspect dead, sources familiar with the investigation said.
Authorities said the shooting happened at about 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, when officers from the 103rd Precinct responded to a reported robbery in progress at a store located near the corner of Jamaica Avenue and 161st Street in Jamaica.
Moments later, the responding cops and the robbery suspect exchanged shots near the corner of Jamaica Avenue and 164th Street. The circumstances leading up to the shootout remain under investigation.
“There were rapid pop-pops,” said one eyewitness at the shooting scene. “Everyone was running and looking scared.”
Sources said the robbery suspect, who allegedly initiated the shootout, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead. The injured officer suffered a gunshot wound to a leg, and is undergoing treatment at Jamaica Hospital.
This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for updates.
