An off-duty NYPD officer shot and wounded a man during an exchange of gunfire early on Wednesday morning in Brooklyn, according to police.
The incident is being probed as a possible carjacking where the armed suspect demanded property, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
A member of the service was driving home from work when a 28-year-old man approached his vehicle and knocked on the driver’s side window with a firearm shortly after 2 a.m. at the corner of East 87 Street and Foster Avenue, according to a preliminary statement by NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison.
The officer drove his vehicle away “to get into a safety position” and stepped out of his car. The suspect then fired at least one round, barely missing the officer, Harrison said.
The off-duty officer returned fire, shooting several times, and struck the suspect in the chest, Harrison said.
The 28-year-old man was removed to Brookdale Hospital in serious condition and the officer was taken to Beth Israel Hospital for ringing in his ears, Harrison said.
Officers recovered two firearms and a knife at the scene that allegedly were possessed by the suspect.
Police are looking into whether the member of service — who wasn’t in uniform — had a chance to identify himself as an officer before shots were fired, according to the source with knowledge of the investigation.
The shooting is being investigated by the NYPD Force Investigation Division, Harrison said.
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