A police officer shot an unarmed suspect cops say charged at authorities during a gun arrest on the border of East Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens Monday night.
Officers from the 67th Precinct rushed to 181 Lenox Rd. at about 5:45 pm on Dec. 28 after receiving numerous 911 calls about a man brandishing a gun during a violent altercation, according to NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan.
Witnesses reported seeing three men engaged in an aggressive argument, two of whom fled scene prior to officers’ arrival.
At first, Monohan said, the officers detained an individual who did not match preliminary descriptions made by eyewitnesses, but who was observed brandishing a firearm. As the suspect was being taken into custody in front of 125 Lenox Rd., he allegedly shouted, “He coming, he gonna blast me!”
At that point, according to Monohan, another man matching the description of the 911 calls emerged before rushing the officers. Authorities say the officers instructed the individual to back up and show his hands, but he refused to comply, and instead reached into his waistband.
That’s when one officer drew their weapon and fired two shots into the man’s right leg, incapacitating the suspect, said the chief, adding that the man did not end up being armed.
Police immediately requested EMS to the scene, according to Monohan, and officers wrapped a tourniquet around the suspect’s leg to stop the bleeding. Paramedics brought him to Kings County Medical Center, where he’s listed in stable condition.
An officer was also brought to Kings County Hospital for treatment of tinnitus following the shooting, cops said.
Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell
This story first appeared on AMNY.com.
