NYPD officer killed, another wounded responding to domestic incident in Harlem, official says
(CNN)One New York police officer is dead and another is in critical condition and in surgery after a shooting incident in Harlem, a law enforcement official told CNN.
Lashawn McNeil, the suspect in the fatal shooting, is in critical condition at the hospital, the New York Police Department told CNN.
Earlier, a law enforcement source had reported to CNN that a civilian believed to be involved in the incident had died but that is not the case.
The incident occurred after officers responded to a domestic call around 6 p.m., officials said.
Mayor Eric Adams, who was at Harlem Hospital where the officers were taken, described the shootings as an attack against the children and families of the city.
“It is our city against the killers,” Adams said.
“We are going to need everyone on the same page to accomplish this task,” he added. “Let me be clear, there are no gun manufacturers in New York City. We don’t make guns here. How are we removing thousands of guns off the street and they still find a way into New York City in the hands of people who are killers?”
Adams, a former police officer, has been mayor for three weeks, a period during which five NYPD officers have been shot.
T
he firearm used in the shooting was a Glock 45 with a high-capacity magazine that holds up to 40 additional rounds, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a news conference.
The gun was stolen from Baltimore in 2017, and the NYPD is working with the Joint Firearms Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace the gun further, he added.
Attorney General Merrick Garland offered condolences to New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell and told her that the Justice Department and FBI were ready to assist, according to a tweet. The FBI was already in touch with their counterparts at the NYPD, he added.
Sewell said the police department was in mourning and angry.
“We have four times this month rushed to the scene of NYPD officers shot by violent criminals in possession of deadly, illegal guns,” Sewell said.
“Please pray for our officer that lies in his hospital bed fighting for his life. And every single day appreciate the valor and sacrifice of the men and women of the NYPD,” she said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James released a statement in response to the shooting, saying, “All of New York state is in mourning tonight. As we await the facts, my office may assert jurisdiction in this matter. We pray for the safety of our police and our communities.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz and Rob Frehse contributed to this report.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/21/us/nypd-officers-shot/index.html
