A gunman is on the loose after shooting an NYPD officer in a Lower East Side public housing complex early Thursday, police said.
Authorities say Officer Brian Groves, a seven-year veteran of the force, and his partner were patrolling the public-housing area at around 3:15 a.m. when they opened the door to the 22nd-floor stairwell and saw the suspect with a silver revolver, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. One of the officers yelled out, “Gun!” and both began chasing the armed man down several flights of stairs, Kelly said.
At some point, the man turned around and fired at the officers. The bullet struck Groves “at the heart” area of his bulletproof vest, Kelly said. Groves returned fire four times, but it’s unclear if the man was hit. Groves, 30, was taken to the hospital in stable condition with a bruised chest.
“He would have been killed if not for his Kevlar vest,” Kelly said.
Police detectives and federal marshals are looking for the suspect. He’s described as a man in his 20s with a skinny build, who is about 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Several small groups of NYPD officers fanned out in the neighborhood with maps in their hands, looking for the weapon. Officers were spotted checking under parked cars, in FedEx and newspaper boxes and under coin-operated children’s rides, among other places.
Groves and his wife have two daughters, the youngest of whom is two weeks old. He is the ninth NYPD officer shot in the city this year.
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3 Responses
Being that the perp’s description fails to mention the race, we know that it is black. Otherwise it would mention it.
Just like whenever a story appears about a politician in disgrace, and it doesn’t say what party he belongs to, you know he’s a Democrat.
Csar, I was thinking along the same lines. Definitely not white. Either as you say black, or muslim. Media is covering for them as well.