Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, first I want to say that these officers did something that was extraordinarily brave this evening, and they did it as part of their commitment. These officers had come off their shift, and upon hearing this call, went back out in search of these criminals. And the work they do – this anti-crime work – is so profoundly important, but this instance where they went above and beyond the call – this is absolutely a case of officers going above and beyond the call to protect their fellow New Yorkers.

We want to thank everyone here at St. Barnabas for taking such good care of these officers. I’d like to just name some of the doctors who’ve been involved – Dr. [inaudible], Dr. [inaudible], Dr. [inaudible], Dr. [inaudible], and Dr. [inaudible]. I want to thank all of them – the team here has been extraordinary. Thank God these officers are doing well and will recover. We care obviously at this moment not just for these officers, but for their families – we want to support them at this difficult time. And as always, the city of New York and the NYPD will be with them through this challenge and as these officers recover.

I want to also say this is another indicator of the dangers that our officers face in the line of duty. We depend on them to keep this whole city safe. They do it with extraordinary skill and professionalism, and there are profound dangers – and we saw examples of that this evening. But again, thank God these officers will recover.

I do want to ask the people of this city to help in this investigation. You’ve heard a description of the perpetrators. You’ll get video footage shortly. It is crucial that the people of this city aid the NYPD in this investigation so that we can capture anyone associated with these crimes.

Thank you very much.

(YWN Desk – NYC)