Ivan Marcano, off-duty NYPD officer, gets shot but kills suspect in attempted NYC robbery, police say

(CBS) NEW YORK - Police said an off-duty NYPD officer was shot while trying to stop an attempted robbery in the Bronx, CBS New York reports.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said 27-year-old Ivan Marcano was with his girlfriend in her car Wednesday night when she witnessed two men robbing a man.

Marcano told his girlfriend to call 911 as he got out of the car and identified himself as a police officer when one of the suspects fired, hitting him in the chest.

"It enters his left chest area and basically goes across, goes out and goes back in," Kelly said. "The bullet is lodged in his chest, barely missing vital organs."

The two suspects took off in a white Ford Mustang driven by a third suspect. Kelly said Marcano got back into his car and followed them with his girlfriend at the wheel.

Marcano watched the suspects crash their vehicles and then, with one hand applying pressure to his own wound, fired two shots and killed one of the suspects, police said.

He then came across an ambulance while following the other suspects, which took him to the hospital. Marcano is now recovering and is listed in stable condition.

"Police Officer Marcano was protecting our city and putting his life on the line, even when he was off-duty," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday.

Police said they are questioning a number of people in connection with the Bronx shooting, but so far no charges have been filed.

"This is another case of guns in the wrong hands ending in violence," Bloomberg said. "He is the 12th NYPD police officer who has been shot this year and the second police officer we've seen shot this week."

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects wanted in connection with the Bronx shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the 24-hour hotline 1-800-COP-SHOT. All information is kept confidential and no names are taken.