An NYPD officer was shot in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon.

The officer, assigned to the NYPD’s 75 Precinct, was responding to a call for an emotionally disturbed person on Ridgewood Ave in the Cypress Hills neighborhood.

The 29-year-old suspect’s mother had called 911, reporting that her son was emotionally disturbed. She told the 911 operator that her son was not armed and not violent.

The suspect fired several shots from a rifle or ‘long gun’ and hit the approaching officer several times, including once in his right arm and two shots striking his bulletproof vest, according to NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill. The officer did not return fire.

None of the other responding officers were struck.

The officer was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

After the shots were fired, the suspect then barricaded himself in the backyard of the home, armed with his gun. When police finally gained access, they found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

O’Neill said the officer is 30 years old and has been on the force for just over two years.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the media at the hospital.

“What could have been just another day, just another call turned into something much worse, and thank God our officer’s going to come through it,” de Blasio said. “He’s a brave young man. He had a great attitude. He was actually, you know, trying to make light of the situation in his own hospital bed; having a lot of spirit; a lot of energy.”

“His vest, definitely saved his life.”- @NYPDONeill
Pictured is the vest that saved our NYPD police officer’s life. pic.twitter.com/So9tZYZBpW

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 10, 2017

(Nat Golden – YWN)