NYPD officer struck in the face when man with shotgun opens fire in Brooklyn, police say
A New York City police officer "came within inches of losing his life" when he was struck in the face with birdshot after a suspect opened fire with a shotgun Monday in Brooklyn, police said.
The officer was rushed to Brookdale Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect, identified by police as 24-year-old Dashawn Anthony Larode, is dead.
Two other officers and a civilian were also injured in a crash as police responded to the scene.
What happened in Brooklyn
The incident began just before 6 a.m. when EMS responded to reports of an unconscious man in front of Thomas S. Boyland Street between Hegeman Avenue and Linden Boulevard in the Brownsville neighborhood. The EMTs found Leroy Wallace, 41, fatally shot at the scene and called police, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
A shotgun shell was found in a vestibule of the building. Police said they believed Wallace was shot in the vestibule and stumbled outside before collapsing to the ground.
"I just heard a boom, oh snap, someone shooting, so I laid back down on my bed," neighbor Hakeem Muhamad said.
"Dead body outside of my apartment building," neighbor Ahmad Baqir said.
At around 7:45 a.m., the suspect opened the door to his first-floor apartment and fired a shotgun at one of the officers at the scene, "striking the officer on the left side of his face," Tisch said. "His injuries are consistent with birdshot pellets being fired from a shotgun."
Officer Sharjeel Waris, 25, returned fire, and the suspect then barricaded himself inside his apartment.
Waris was rushed to the hospital in stable condition.
"We believe the suspect was shot by the injured officer, who returned fire once he was shot in the face," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Two other officers rushing to the scene after the report of the officer being shot were involved in a crash at New Lots Avenue and Thomas Boylan Street, Tisch said. Those officers and the driver of the other vehicle were taken to the hospital, as well, with minor injuries and are in stable condition.
Members of the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit then responded to the scene. They smashed a window to the apartment where Larode was located and flew a drone inside to look around.
"Camera footage showed a man lying motionless on the kitchen floor with a shotgun lying near him," Tisch said.
When officers entered the apartment, the suspect was found dead.
"He came within inches of losing his life"
"Today is another reminder of what's at stake when your NYPD officers come to work. They never know what will be on the other side of that door, but whatever it is, they face it with an uncommon valor that defines this department," Tisch said.
Tisch said that Waris is a four-year veteran of the force and was in good spirits after the shooting.
"But make no mistake, this could've ended very differently. What happened this morning is a reminder of how quickly danger finds the men and women that protect this city. They stood their ground, they did their jobs, they kept people safe, and once again they reminded us all what it means to put on that uniform," Tisch said.
"He came within inches of losing his life, but because of his skill and his composure, he's in that hospital room right now, upbeat," PBA president Patrick Hendry said.
Police officials said it appears the initial shooting that left Wallace dead may have been the result of an ongoing dispute between neighbors, since both Wallace and the suspect lived in the building. However, some neighbors who knew both men said they didn't witness any animosity in the past.
Wallace's wife told CBS News New York her husband was a hardworking, quiet man.
Larode was a military veteran and had no prior arrest record, police said.
Happily, Waris was released from the hospital a short time later. He smiled and waved as fellow officers applauded as he was wheeled out of the hospital.
The NYPD's crime statistics show shooting incidents are down this year compared to the same time last year. Still, people in the community say they want to see an end to all the gun violence.
"As a community, we have to do better," one person said.
"It's scary. We are living in a dangerous world right now," said another.
"Praying for the full recovery of the officer shot and injured in Brooklyn this morning. We're closely monitoring the situation," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
"My thoughts are with the NYPD officer who was shot this morning in Brownsville and I am praying for his recovery. I'm grateful to law enforcement for their quick response and I will continue to monitor the situation as it develops," Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wrote on social media.
The investigation continues.