NEW YORK — A person of interest wanted in Saturday night’s botched carjacking that left an off-duty NYPD officer in critical condition, fighting for his life, is in police custody, multiple sources said. reports to our sister network NBC 4 New York.
The incident came Monday, two days after the 26-year-old officer was shot in the head when gunfire erupted behind a McDonald’s on Ruby Street in East New York. NYPD officials said he and his brother-in-law had gone there to buy a car after making a deal on Facebook Marketplace. The alleged vendor pulled out weapons and demanded money, then shot the police officer.
His name has not been revealed.
After the officer went down, sources said the officer’s brother-in-law removed a firearm from its holster and returned fire. The suspect ran to a waiting black SUV and drove away. That getaway car was later found in Manhattan, the sources said.
The person of interest, a 38-year-old man, was tracked to a Rockland County hotel and taken into police custody Monday afternoon, according to sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.
Investigators are also looking into whether Saturday’s case may be part of a pattern.
Mayor Eric Adams said the officer, a five-year veteran assigned to patrol, is married with two children.
“Too many illegal guns are in the hands of bad people doing bad things,” the mayor said. “I spoke with the officer’s wife, I saw his beautiful children. We are all lifting up your family in prayer. We will catch the person responsible for this.”
It was the second shooting of an NYPD officer in less than three weeks, following a January 17 incident in the Bronx. The police officer in that case, who was on patrol at the time, was shot in the arm, allegedly by a 16-year-old gunman.
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