An NYPD sergeant was urgently taken to a hospital due to a significant head injury sustained during a violent confrontation with a suspect involved in a domestic robbery in the Bronx on Thursday night, according to police reports.
Authorities were alerted by a father who claimed that his adult son had held his mother and older brother at gunpoint during a robbery at their home around 9:16 PM on Van Nest Avenue, Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera stated in a Friday press briefing.
The father indicated that he believed his son had escaped to a nearby building on Paulding Avenue and East Gun Hill Road, which prompted police to set up a perimeter around the residence, Rivera explained.
Upon knocking on the door, the suspect, aged 18, denied any involvement in the robbery, but his father recognized his voice, as per police indications and insider accounts.
When officers attempted to secure the door while awaiting backup, the suspect fired three shots from inside and tried to escape through the front door, leading to a violent struggle with the officers, Rivera noted.
During the altercation, the sergeant fell and hit his head, resulting in a serious head injury, as reported by police.
In the course of this incident, an officer fired at the 18-year-old suspect in the building’s hallway, hitting him in the lower back and the right arm, according to law enforcement sources.
The wounded sergeant was transported to Jacobi Medical Center and is reported to be in stable condition, police confirmed.
The suspect was also taken to Jacobi Medical Center but is presently in critical condition, according to police reports.
Officer Rivera mentioned that the armed suspect had a “notable history of violent crime.”
At the scene, police recovered a firearm and a bag, alongside fired shell casings and evidence of ballistic damage to a window inside the home.
“Our officers once again faced a highly perilous domestic situation without any knowledge of what awaited them on the other side of that door,” Rivera remarked to the media.
“We are fortunate that our officers managed to capture the suspect, and our injured officer is anticipated to fully recover,” he added.
Nearby residents reported hearing loud gunfire echoing within the apartment complex during the incident.
“I was sitting on the couch when suddenly the floor shook with two gunshots,” recalled 23-year-old Angela Bermudez in an interview with The Post.
“People started coming out into the hallway, trying to understand what was happening. Moments later, we could hear the sound of police sirens approaching.”
She quickly contacted her husband, Josiah Bermudez, who was dropping off their 3-year-old son with his grandparents after hearing the shots.
Josiah, 25, hurried home, only to be told by officers that he would need to wait outside while they processed the scene.
Police have not disclosed the names of the injured officer or the suspect.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore
