Tensions over an off-duty NYPD officer allegedly opening fire on a group of suspected car thieves in the Bronx earlier this week mounted Thursday, with community advocates calling on the mayor to address the situation.
Religious advocates and Black Lives Matter representatives gathered outside Gracie Mansion on Thursday morning to demand a response. The off-duty officer, who law enforcement sources say had been investigating the theft of a family car, had served on the security detail there, the sources said.
Community members argue the cop went “rogue,” and that the shooting never should have happened at all.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani hasn’t yet weighed in publicly on the case. He’ll likely be asked about it after an unrelated press conference early this afternoon.
It comes a day after the officer, whose name has not been released, was suspended without pay in the case. He initially was put on modified duty following the Monday night incident in Kingsbridge.
Much of the outrage stems from surveillance video that appears to show the off-duty officer pulling up behind a white car and walking up to the driver with a weapon drawn. The white vehicle moves, which is when investigators say a gun was fired.
Law enforcement sources said the off-duty officer approached the group because he believed they may have been involved in the theft of his car.
A 30-year-old man was hit in the head. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Advocates say the man has brain injuries, and his family is struggling to cope with what comes next.
No weapon was recovered at the scene, sources said.
According to sources, the off-duty officer involved in this case had been assigned to the NYPD’s intelligence bureau in addition to his involvement at Gracie Mansion.
A spokesperson for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office says its Public Integrity Bureau is investigating.
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