Police officers shot and killed a masked gunman who had fired several shots at a patrol cruiser in Brownsville early Monday morning.
Uniformed officers from the 73rd Precinct were patrolling the area of Howard and Dumont avenues at around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 2 when they saw a “suspicious” man wearing a mask covering his face, Chief of Department Terence Monahan said during a Monday morning press conference.
When the three officers who were inside their patrol car attempted to speak to the masked man, he fled toward 788 Howard Ave.
One officer exited the vehicle and the other two drove onto Howard Avenue as the perp fired numerous rounds at the patrol car, striking it. The officer who had exited the car then exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who fled the scene, according to Monahan.
About 30 minutes later, a resident alerted police that a man was attempting to break into a backyard on Howard Avenue.
As uniformed patrol officers entered the backyard, they were fired upon numerous times and exchanged gunfire with the perp, Monahan said.
Additional officers, including the Emergency Service Unit, arrived at the scene, where the gunman continued to fire off shots.
“Our officers returned fire and the man was then taken into custody,” Monahan said.
The shooter was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. No cops were injured in the shootout.
Seven officers discharged their weapon in the firefight and cops recovered a semi-automatic handgun from the scene.
An investigation into the shootout is ongoing.
“The great work by our cops today demonstrates, once again, how they never hesitate to go into harm’s way to keep our city safe,” Monahan said.
The Labor Day incident comes amid a series of deadly shootings in Brownsville this summer.
A gunman fatally shot 28-year-old Arsenio Gravesande on the corner of Union Street and Sutter Avenue on Aug. 20.
Gravesande’s death followed a mass shooting at the Old Timers Day block party near Hegeman Avenue and Sackman Street on July 27, when multiple gunmen opened fire into a crowd of about 2,000, striking a dozen partygoers and killing 38-year-old Jason Pagan.
After the mass shooting, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city will spend almost $9 million to revitalize social services and other local resources in Brownsville.
“Our hearts ache for Brownsville; but this community will be defined by resilience, not tragedy,” de Blasio said on Aug. 6. “These programs will build on our commitment to end the epidemic of gun violence and lend much needed support to the local leaders and activists who work to bring positive, enduring change to the Brownsville community each and every day.”
More than half of the newly allocated money — $5.2 million — will go toward the restoration of the Brownsville Houses Community Center at Blake Avenue near Mother Gaston Boulevard, which is one of 15 public housing locations designated as a hub for de Blasio’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety, which provides tools and social workers to combat the root causes of crime.
The remaining $3.23 million will be used to augment other anti-violence and safety programs throughout the community.
