The New York Police Department (NYPD) released Tuesday the bodycam video of officers allegedly being shot by migrants, New York Post reported.
Two NYPD officers, Richard Yarusso and Christopher Abreu, both 26, were allegedly shot and wounded in Queens early Monday by a suspect identified as Bernardo Castro Mata, a Venezuelan migrant, according to the New York Post. The incident, caught on police bodycam footage, revealed the harrowing moments of the encounter, including one officer’s immediate response to aid his partner despite his own injuries.
Dramatic NYPD bodycam footage captures moment two cops were shot by migrant in Brooklyn: ‘Sent chills through my whole body’ https://t.co/Exzp5F06Ac pic.twitter.com/V3047YdPuT
— New York Post (@nypost) June 4, 2024
“We’ve watched the video, the body-camera video, when we were inside of the hospital last night, and [the footage] just sent chills through my whole body,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said during an interview with WPIX-TV, New York Post reported.
The video shows Yarusso, shot in the chest but protected by his bulletproof vest, quickly applying a tourniquet to Abreu, who was shot in the leg. The footage highlights the nature of the incident and the officers’ prompt response under pressure, New York Post stated. Daughtry highlighted the officers’ bravery. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Shooting NYPD Cops Had Immigration Case Dismissed By Judge, ICE Confirms)
Nineteen-year-old Venezuelan migrant who shot two NYPD officers carried away by police at the scene. He should be deported immediately. Do you agree? #border #nyc
YES OR NO pic.twitter.com/3uiO0h6Dam
— Secure America Now 🇺🇸 (@SecureAmerica) June 3, 2024
“Immediately, he’s taken attention off himself after being shot in the chest, and he’s directing his teammates to put the tourniquet on his partner and then telling his other teammates to cuff [Mata],” Daughtry added, New York Post reported. “That’s heroic.”
The suspect, Mata, was apprehended at the scene and remains hospitalized after being shot in the ankle during the incident. He had previously entered the U.S. illegally in Texas in July 2023 and sought asylum — a request that was dismissed May 6 as part of efforts to clear a court backlog, according to the New York Post. Both injured officers were treated at a local hospital and have since been released.
