NYPD: 24-Year-Old Gunman Shot, Killed After Opening Fire On Off-Duty Officers In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two off-duty NYPD officers shot and killed a gunman who opened fire on them during a confrontation on Sunday morning in the Bronx.
The incident happened at around 4 a.m. near Valentine Avenue and East 180th Street in the Mount Hope section of the borough.
The officers had just finished their shifts at the 46th Precinct when they saw two men arguing around the corner and tried to prevent to prevent the situation from escalating, CBS2's Christina Fan reported.
According to police, a 24-year-old man with a gun started firing into a group of people. The officers saw the shooting and confronted the suspect, who then fired at them.
The officers returned fire on the man, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
After the shooting, the suspect's father, 45, picked up his son's gun and shot at the officers, police said.
"Immediately after shooting, the officers began to render aid to the 24-year-old male, and responding officers took the uninjured, 45-year-old male into custody at the scene," said NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes. "EMS transported the 24-year-old male to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased."
Families too afraid to speak on camera told Fan quality of life has been rapidly deteriorating to the point that they didn't even hear the gunshots because of the loud music that blares all hours of the day.
Local pastors who have led countless rallies and marches to tackle violence haven't given up hope, but even they admitted shooters are getting more emboldened.
"Churches used to be a safe place for people to be, but now it's not safe anymore. In front of my church, we had a homicide. Thank goodness for cameras," said Rev. Oswald Denis of Rehoboth Christian Church.
So far, officers haven't found the shooter's gun, but they said video shows the father handing off the weapon to another person before he was arrested.
The two officers were taken to the hospital for observation, police said. They were not hit when either man opened fire.
No bystanders appeared to be hurt.
CBS2's Christina Fan contributed to this report.
