A 16-year-old was arrested on camera after shooting at a New York police officer in the Bronx – as the officer left the hospital hours later to applause from his colleagues.
Two teenagers, who have not been identified, were approached by two officers in an unmarked car on Prospect Avenue and East 183rd Street around 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The boys immediately ran from officers until one of the teenagers turned and fired six shots, hitting officer Paul Lee, who was in the passenger seat, in the arm.
Although they were shot, Lee and the other officer, who was not injured, ran to chase the teens. He was eventually caught by other officers in the area. The second suspect remains at large.
“To be clear, we will stop at nothing to ensure those involved in this shooting and the people who are fueling violence in this city are brought to justice,” Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference.
A 16-year-old with an extensive criminal record was arrested for shooting a police officer in the arm. His name was not published
New York police officer Paul Lee was shot in the arm by a teenager in the Bronx. Lee was shot and killed in an unmarked police car at 3 a.m. Tuesday
A video posted online shows the suspect being arrested and placed in a police car. An officer can be heard in the background saying, “I want to face him.”
Police showed a .32 caliber gun recovered from the 16-year-old and the bullet holes going through the unmarked squad car.
The teenager has an extensive criminal record and was last arrested for gun possession in April, the New York Post reported.
In May, after an altercation with a faculty member, he “threatened” to bomb a Bronx high school.
The suspect had also met his own family, according to the news outlet, with his mother reporting him for stealing her car and destroying property.
He also had an active October arrest warrant for sex abuse.
Police showed a .32 caliber gun seized from the 16-year-old
A shattered windshield shows where the bullet went through the car and hit the officer
Detectives were seen examining cars on the streets that were hit by bullets
Cones were seen scattered at the scene Tuesday
Officer Lee was released from the hospital hours later Tuesday afternoon.
The NYPD filmed him agitating the hospital in a wheelchair and an arm sling. Several officers lined up and clapped for him as he walked toward an NYPD van.
Mayor Eric Adams said Lee takes pride in doing his job and intervening where he is needed.
“I spoke to Officer Lee and his family and he is proud to have done his work on the front lines to deal with the violence that we have seen, particularly in the Bronx borough,” Adams said.
Adams admitted at the press conference that there are too many guns in the hands of youth and used shooting to promote gun control.
“Too many young people are holding too many guns,” Adams said. “And our job is to create a way to stop that and make sure we get these guns off our streets.”
Mayor Eric Adams admitted at the press conference that there are too many guns in the hands of youth and used the shooting to promote gun control
NY crime statistics show that overall crime in the city has increased by 3.42 percent compared to the same time last year
According to NYPD crime statistics, in 2023 through January 8, there were approximately 16 shootings and 17 shooting victims.
About 463 crimes were reported along with 917 grand thefts.
Earlier this year, the NYPD released its annual summary of crime for the past year — and it showed that crime has increased in virtually every category, despite recent claims from the city’s mayor.
The statistics paint a bleak picture of the city’s efforts to combat crime, which has skyrocketed since the pandemic.
Adams, himself a former NYPD police captain, unveiled his “Blueprint to End Gun Violence” along with a “Subway Safety Plan” early last year — both of which have so far proved largely ineffective, according to the new statistics.
The data shows that rape, robbery and assault are up from last year as they hit both 2020 and 2021 at record highs not seen in decades.
The statistics paint a bleak picture of the city’s efforts to combat a crime spike since the pandemic — a campaign touted as successful by Mayor Eric Adams several times over the past year