A 16-year-old was arrested on camera after shooting a New York police officer in the Bronx – as the officer left hospital hours later to a round of applause from his colleagues.
Two teenagers, who haven’t been identified, were approached by two officers in an unmarked car on Prospect Avenue and East 183rd Street at around 3am on Tuesday.
The boys instantly ran away from the officers until one of the teenagers turned back and fired six shots – striking officer Paul Lee in the arm, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
Despite being shot, Lee and the other officer, who wasn’t injured, ran to chase down the teenagers. He was eventually caught by other officers in the area. The second suspect remains on the loose.
‘Let me be clear, we will stop at nothing to ensure that these subjects involved in this shooting and the people who drive violence in this city will be brought to justice,’ Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference.
A 16-year-old with an extensive criminal record was detained for shooting a police officer in the arm. His name has not been released
Paul Lee, New York police officer, was shot in the arm by a teenager in the Bronx. Lee was shot at 3am on Tuesday while in an unmarked police car
A video posted online shows the suspect being arrested and placed in a cop car. An officer can be heard in the background saying: ‘I want to look at him in the face.’
Police showed a .32 caliber gun that was recovered from the 16-year-old and the bullet holes that went through the unmarked patrol car.
The teenager has an extensive criminal track record and was last arrested in April for possession of a weapon, the New York Post reported.
In May, he ‘threatened’ to bomb a high school in the Bronx after an altercation with a faculty member.
The suspect has also had run in with his own family with his mom having reported him for stealing her car and property destruction, according to the news outlet.
He also had an active October warrant for sexual abuse.
Police showed a .32 caliber gun that was recovered from the 16-year-old
A shattered windshield show where the bullet flew through the car and hit the officer
Detectives were seen examining cars on the streets that were hit by bullets
Cones were seen scattered around the crime scene on Tuesday
Officer Lee was released from the hospital hours later on Tuesday afternoon.
The NYPD taped him exciting the hospital in a wheelchair and arm sling. Several officers lined up and clapped for him as he made his way to a NYPD van.
Mayor Eric Adams said Lee was proud to do his job and intervene where he was needed.
‘I spoke with Officer Lee and his family and he’s proud to have done his job on the frontline to deal with the violence that we have witnessed, particularly in the borough of the Bronx,’ Adams said.
Adams admitted at the press conference that there are too many guns in the hands of youth and used the shooting to promote gun control.
‘Too many young people have too many guns in their hands,’ Adams said. ‘And out jobs is to create a pathway to stop that and to ensure that we remove these guns from our streets ‘
Mayor Eric Adams admitted at the press conference that there are too many guns in the hands of youth and used the shooting to promote gun control
NY crime stats show that overall crime is up in the city by 3.42 percent in comparison to the same time last year
So far in 2023, there have about 16 shooting incidents and 17 shooting victims as of January 8, according to NYPD crime statistics.
About 463 felony assaults have also been reported along with 917 grand larceny incidents.
At the start of the year, NYPD released its annual round-up of crime over the past year – and it has revealed that crime is up in virtually every category, despite recent assertions from the city’s mayor.
The statistics paint a bleak picture of the city’s efforts to address crime that’s rocketed since the pandemic.
Adams, who himself is a former NYPD police captain, unveiled his ‘Blueprint to End Gun Violence’ early last year, along with a ‘Subway Safety Plan’ – both of which have so far proved largely ineffective, according to the new statistics.
The data shows that rapes, robberies, and assaults are all up from last year, since hitting highs not seen in decades in both 2020 and 2021.
The statistics paint a bleak picture of the city’s efforts to address crime that’s rocketed since the pandemic – a campaign that has been touted as successful several times over the past year by Mayor Eric Adams
