A New York Police Department officer was shot on Tuesday while on his way to work.
The 22-year-old officer was off-duty headed to Queens around 10:20 p.m. when he was shot in the shoulder during an attempted carjacking, police said during a press conference on Wednesday.
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“This young man was on his way to work, on his way to protect New Yorkers from criminals, like the two who were arrested today,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
Watch as @nypdpc joins @nycmayor and police executives to provide details on the NYPD officer shot in Queens. https://t.co/vC1OF2qyPd
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 2, 2022
The officer is being treated for injuries considered not life-threatening.
Sewell said the officer was approached by two suspects trying to steal his car while stopped at a red light. When the officer got out of his vehicle, one of the suspects shot him.
Officers rushed to the scene and later tracked down the two suspects several blocks away, according to police. Both were taken into custody, and a gun was recovered.
“The police department is well past standing in front of podiums telling people there are too many illegal guns on the street. And far too many people carrying them, ready to pull the trigger,” Sewell said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also visited the officer at the hospital, decrying the “proliferation” of guns and those that are willing to use them against others.
“To see something like this happen repeatedly in our city is unacceptable,” Adams said.
This is the sixth NYPD officer that has been shot in 2022, according to the New York Post. Two NYPD officers were fatally shot earlier this month while responding to an alleged domestic dispute.
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The NYPD did not provide the name of the injured officer.
