NYPD officer and bystander shot in Queens, police say; armed robbery suspect killed
An NYPD officer and another woman were shot in Queens by an armed robbery suspect who was believed to be responsible for multiple robberies.
An NYPD officer and another woman were shot in Queens by an armed robbery suspect who was believed to be responsible for multiple robberies within the span of just about an hour, according to police.
Officers initially responded to a 911 call of a robbery in progress at a deli on Hillside Avenue near 164th Street in Jamaica around 5:30 p.m., police said. A man had entered, threatening workers and customers with a black revolver. He then fired once before running from the scene, police said.
As police searched for the suspect, officers were flagged down by a witness who pointed out a man on Jamaica Avenue and 160th Street. The witness told police the man had just robbed a smoke shop on Guy Brewer Boulevard, and fired a shot while doing so, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.
Around 6:30 p.m., about an hour after the first robbery, two uniformed and on-duty neighborhood coordination officers went up to a man who fit the description of the suspect in the robberies. They told him to stop, but he took off and took out a gun.
After being ordered to drop his weapon, the suspect fired once, hitting Officer Rich Wong in the thigh, Kenny said at a press conference from the hospital. Wong then returned fire, striking the suspect in the face.
Rating: 5