An off-duty NYPD officer is in critical condition after being shot in the head Saturday evening due to an apparent car deal gone wrong.
A 26-year-old father of two was attempting to buy a vehicle featured in an ad on Facebook Marketplace that ended up in a violent robbery and a man in a black hoodie shooting at the off-the-clock cop on the East side of New York City, according to the New York Post.
Off-Duty NYPD Cop Shot While Buying Car, in Grave Condition: Sources https://t.co/Z7T53qkCuU pic.twitter.com/o1e9Yx9AZd
— myles miller (@MylesMill) February 5, 2023
The off-duty NYPD officer and the robber exchanged gunfire, as the officer reportedly fired at least one shot in retaliation, the outlet noted. Police believe the officer was not targeted because he on the force. (RELATED: REPORT: Off-Duty NYPD Officer Arrested For Drunk Driving After Allegedly Slamming Into Several Cars, Firing Gun)
A neighborhood witness named as Genesis testified to the Post that “I saw a person wearing a black hoodie, black top and gray sweats shooting, like he was ducking in front of a car outside my house,” elaborating that, “It looked like he was shooting back and forth at someone.”
“[The suspect] kept shooting…After the last shot, I saw him running towards McDonalds and I looked away,” Genesis said.
🚨BREAKING🚨Off-duty NYPD officer in critical condition after being shot in the head in Brooklyn. He was in the area to purchase a vehicle when the botched robbery occurred. PD doesn’t believe he was targeted bcuz he was a cop. Robbery appears to be the motive @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/ISW847Wy8p
— Alecia Reid (@alecia__reid) February 5, 2023
Shortly after the shooting ceased, she saw the officer getting taken away by first responders in a stretcher that suffered a bullet wound in the head. The officer was rushed to Brookdale Hospital and deemed to be in critical condition.
NYPD ShotSpotter technology recorded that a grand total of 15 shots were fired. (RELATED: Chinese Police Station In New York Closes After FBI Raid: REPORT)
The suspect at large is said to be a bearded man in his twenties, who fled the scene in a dark car with tinted windows. The man was sporting a black hoodie and gray sweatpants, the outlet noted. NYPD helicopters were called in to try and track the suspect down.
Police are currently probing if the shooting is linked to Facebook car ad robbery schemes around the city.