A tragic encounter in Brooklyn has left a suspected gang member dead and a woman injured following a police shooting. NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey relayed that the confrontation began around 3 p.m. when officers attempted to stop a car connected to a previous shooting near Fulton Street and Washington Avenue in Crown Heights, as reported by The Post.
Escalation ensued as the car, reportedly driven by a woman with a male passenger and a baby on board, refused to yield, speeding and skirting through traffic, eventually becoming gridlocked on Utica Avenue. Identified as a 21-year-old reputed member of the Cyprus Backside Gang, the man with a gun in hand, was shot and killed by police as he attempted to exit the vehicle. The Post detailed that he had been eyed for two murders, one of which was recorded on camera, making him wanted since March.
The female driver, upon fleeing the car, sustained two gunshot wounds to the thigh after a brief chase on foot. Unharmed, a toddler found in the backseat was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The woman, now in custody, has not yet been charged. ABC 7 NY reports she was believed to be the mother of the child, who was found without a car seat in the vehicle.
One officer, amidst the shooting, was heard yelling "baby, baby", alerting others to cease fire due to the toddler's presence, according to Maddrey's account to The Post. Recovered from the scene was a semi-automatic weapon with a capacity for 30 rounds, exceeding New York's legal limit of ten. Body camera footage displayed by the NYPD shows the man pointing his weapon at officers, although it's unclear if he fired any shots. The officers involved were not injured by gunfire, as ABC 7 NY reported.
