New Details Emerge in Shooting of Off-Duty Cop in Brooklyn

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell (center) speaks to reporters during a press conference in New York City on Dec. 31, 2022. NYPD via AP

New details have emerged in the shooting of an off-duty NYPD officer in Brooklyn over the weekend.

Police are still searching for the suspect who shot and critically wounded the off-duty officer in an attempted robbery on Feb. 3, at around 7 p.m. in East New York, Brooklyn.

NYC officials said the officer set up a meeting through Facebook Marketplace to check out and buy a used Honda Pilot from an online seller.

The NYPD said that the off-duty cop arrived in the company of his brother-in-law, carrying $24,000 for the potential car purchase, when the ambush occurred.

The pair met with the suspect after he lured them into a dark driveway at 472 Ruby Street, near Linden Boulevard, when he pulled out a gun and announced his intent to rob them, reported the New York Post.

The armed suspect shouted “give me your money,” according to the police.

The off-duty officer pulled out his sidearm in response and exchanged fire with the suspect.

The suspect then fired at least five shots with a 9mm handgun, with one round hitting the officer in the head and exiting out the back, according to the NY Post.

The officer’s brother-in-law, who immediately picked up the gun when the officer fell, returned fire and was left unscathed during the incident.

The suspect then jumped into the driver’s seat of a waiting black BMW SUV and sped off.

Veteran NYPD Officer Remains In Critical Condition

It is unknown at this time if the attempted robber was wounded during the gunfight, or if he even knew that his intended victim was an off-duty officer.

Officials announced that the off-duty officer is currently in critical condition at Brookdale Hospital.

The officers who arrived on the scene found the wounded officer on the ground with his NYPD shield and service weapon nearby.

The 26-year-old officer, whose identity has not been released, is from Deer Park, New York, and is a five-year veteran of the force who serves at the 66th Precinct, in the neighborhood of Borough Park.

Detectives believe that the male shooter, who remains at large, may be responsible for similar robberies in the city and they are tracing him through Facebook.

The investigators are specifically looking at a similar robbery that took place on the same street on Jan. 13, which involved $18,000.

“Please keep this young officer in your prayers. He is currently fighting for his life,” Keechant Sewell, New York City’s Police Commissioner, told reporters.

Robberies Through Facebook Ads Becoming a Concern

Meanwhile, federal agents have joined the NYPD to assist detectives with the investigation.

In October 2022, federal prosecutors indicted a pair of Bronx teenagers who pulled off a similar but separate online scheme to lure victims into robberies. The pair ended up murdering a 20-year-old Rockland County man who responded to their Facebook ad for a motorcycle in the Bronx in May 2022.

“We will catch the person responsible for this act,” NYC Mayor Eric Adams told reporters over the weekend.

“Far too often I’ve stood at hospitals. On one side, the police commissioner; on another, the rooms where family members are mourning. And then that same sound: ‘Tell me it’s not true. Please tell me it’s not true,’” said Adams, who spoke with the officer’s wife and two children.