FBI terrorism investigators have joined NY police looking into possible extremist ties of a man who shot and wounded two city police officers early Saturday in Brooklyn, law enforcement officials said. Officers Andrew Yurkiw and William Reddin exchanged fire with Jamal Funes, who the New York Post describes as a “career criminal”, around 3:30am in Brooklyn.
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It’s standard for police shooting investigations to look into the possibility of what’s known as “friendly fire”. One was struck in his protective vest in the chest area, stopping bullet.
The shooting occurred on Malcolm X Boulevard in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn at around 3:20 a.m., CBS2’s Ilana Gold reported. Funes, shot by officers, is reportedly in critical condition. The suspect allegedly pointed a revolver at them and fled in a vehicle.
Officers had initially approached the suspect, Bratton said, after hearing a shot near Quincy Street and Malcolm X Boulevard. Officer Lee Tartt died and three were wounded when a hostage situation overnight ended in a shootout, according to the Clarion-Ledger. Both were alert at the hospital, Bratton said.
Multiple police officers responded to the call and traded gunfire with the suspect, who hit one in his bulletproof vest and another just below the vest in his right hip, the commissioner said. After that the officers fired shots, striking the man several times, according to Bratton. The NYPD did not provide an update on the suspect’s condition. The other officer was struck below the vest.
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The incident marks the second time this month that NYPD officers were shot on duty. They are being treated at Kings County Hospital. Images released by police from surveillance video show the gunman – wearing an ankle-length, white garment – on a crosswalk taking aim and firing at the patrol vehicle at close range.
