A police officer was wounded after confronting a homicide suspect in Brownsville who was killed after opening fire on cops on Monday morning.
According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, cops were conducting an investigation at around 7:45 a.m. on Nov. 17 after a 41-year-old man was shot inside a home located at 1046 Thomas S Boyland St. earlier in the morning.
The deceased, identified as Leeroy Wallace, staggered outside after suffering a gunshot and collapsed on the sidewalk.
EMS responded and found Wallace dead at the scene and immediately notified police. Officers from the 73rd Precinct responded and discovered a shotgun shell casing in the vestibule of the building, where they believe the victim had initially been mortally wounded.
As police established a crime scene, Tisch said, the gunman emerged and opened fire on the officers.
“A male opens the door of one of the first-floor apartments and fires at the officer in the hallway from close range with a shotgun, striking the officer on the left side of his face; his injuries are consistent with bird shot pellets being fired from a shotgun,” Tisch said. “Our cop returns fire, and the perp barricades himself back inside the apartment.”
The wounded officer, 25-year-old Sharjeel Waris, was treated for a non-life-threatening injury at Brookdale University Hospital.
During the chaos, and as police called for backup to the scene, officers inside a marked police cruiser from the 73rd Precinct were racing to the area along New Lots Avenue and Thomas Boylan Street when they collided with a civilian-operated vehicle. All parties involved suffered minor injuries and were hospitalized.
Meanwhile, the NYPD Emergency Service Unit arrived on the scene and smashed the first-floor window in order to gain entry to the home.
“They flew a drone into the apartment. Camera footage showed a male lying motionless on the kitchen floor with a shotgun on the floor near him. ESU then made entry into the apartment to render aid, and the perp was pronounced DOA on scene,” Tisch said.
While police say they are not yet identifying the suspect, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said they believe he was struck by Waris when he returned fire. The shot may have caused the gunman’s demise.
Kenny also stated that both the gunman and Wallace were residents and lived down the hall from one another on the first floor. The exact nature of their feud was not made apparent.
A maintenance worker at the Thomas S Boyland Street location, who identified himself as John, said that the building owner called him and told him that a tenant had been killed.
“I take care of the building, I am here every day — I was here yesterday,” John said, adding that he knows the man who was killed. “It is scary.”
An eyewitness described the terrifying moment the armed suspect attempted to gun down police.
“I was coming from an appointment at Brookdale with the doctor and I saw the commotion. Cops running, I saw the car crash,” Kim McMcoy said. They started shooting. I ran and hid. It was crazy.”
House Democratic Leader and Brooklyn U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries released a statement later in the afternoon, praying for Waris’ recovery.
“I am praying for the swift recovery of Officer Sharjeel Waris, who was injured in the line of duty after he rushed into action to prevent the loss of innocent lives. We owe it to our communities and our courageous law enforcement officials to take decisive action to end the gun violence epidemic once and for all. I remain grateful to the men and women of the NYPD for their heroic efforts on the scene in Brownsville today and for all they do to keep the people of our great City safe each and every day,” Jeffries said.
Waris was discharged just after noon from Brookdale Hospital, exiting the facility alongside his mother. He was given a rousing round of applause by Commissioner Tisch and a legion of cops who lined the sidewalks to pay their respects for his heroic actions.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said that Waris, a four-year veteran of the force, had told him it was a job he always wanted to do.
“I had the opportunity to talk to him, 19- years-old, when he took the test to become an NYPD officer. 21 when he came on the department, a job that he always wanted to do. And he loves doing it, and he’s going to continue to do it and do it well, but we ask all New Yorkers to pray for this police officer so that he gets back to full duty,” Hendry said.
This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site amNewYork.
