Cops say the New Year’s Eve Brighton Beach shooting involving a retired NYPD captain is now believed to have erupted over a road rage incident, leaving authorities mulling over potential criminal charges.
When gunfire erupted in the road outside of 3250 Coney Island Ave. at around 2:13 p.m. on Dec. 31, initial reports indicated that the police captain attempted to intervene in a robbery. However, investigators now believe the shots were fired over a road rage incident.
Cops from the 60th Precinct rushed to the scene to find a 22-year-old man with a bullet wound to the leg beside two vehicles stalled in the roadway. The wounded man was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in stable condition, police sources said.
NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny reported that the retired police veteran shot the man after the drivers apparently cut one another off.
“They began to cut each other off, began to break check each other which led to the shooting,” Chief Kenny said.
Police were seen on that Sunday afternoon swarming two cars left abandoned in the center of Coney Island Avenue, with their doors open and a single sneaker sitting beside them.
“It was absolutely chaotic, he was 50 yards away,” local Adam King said on the day of the incident. “I’m seeing the cars with the open door.”
Sources familiar with the incident say cops apparently took the shooter into custody but he was never charged.
While the retired captain is no longer an active part of the department, police say the gun fired in the incident was legal and licensed. However, Chief Kenny says police and Brooklyn District Attorney’s office are looking into the conduct of the former cop and are gathering more evidence as they weigh potential charges.
“The case is currently being worked on with our partners at the Kings County District Attorney’s office. They are reviewing all the facts they asked for us to obtain additional video of the incident from beginning to end which we have provided them. They’re going to sit down with their law enforcement branch and decide what charges will be coming if any,” Chief Kenny said.
