Charges have been announced following the arrest of an unnamed 16-year-old male following a police-involved shooting in Belmont, police said.

 

A police officer from the 48th Precinct public safety team is recovering at St. Barnabas Hospital in Belmont following a multiple shooting incident that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan. 17 in Belmont, police said. They said a 16-year-old male was taken into custody following the incident and two others are still sought. No details of any charges pertaining to the 16-year-old were initially announced during the press conference.

 

A press conference was held later on Tuesday morning at St. Barnabas Hospital during which Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell was joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, NYC Police Benevolent Association (PBA) president Pat Lynch, and other members of the NYPD to discuss the incident which took place in the 48th Precinct.

 

Sewell said two uniformed police officers, described as 3 and 7-year veterans of the department, had been patrolling on Prospect Avenue and the vicinity East 183rd Street in Belmont in an unmarked police vehicle at around 3.03 a.m. on Tuesday. “While attempting to engage two males on the corner, one officer was shot in the arm, narrowly missing his vital structures,” she said.

 

The police commissioner said the officer was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was treated for his injuries and is reported to be in stable condition. “I’d like to thank Dr. Jameson and the rest of the staff here at St. Barnabas Hospital for their excellent care and our own NYPD Dr. Kleiman.”

 

Sewell added, “A 16-year-old male has been taken into custody and a 32-caliber firearm has been recovered.” She said police are now searching for “two additional involved males” in connection with the incident. “Let me be clear; we will stop at nothing to ensure that these subjects involved in this shooting, and the people who drive violence in this city will be brought to justice.”

 

A somber and weary-sounding Adams, back in New York City after a weekend visit to the U.S. southern border, then said, “Look at this scenario – 16 years old, officer shot, another individual potentially was [disarmed?] [inaudible]. This officer was doing his job, part of the important team that has been assembled to remove guns off our streets. I spoke to the Officer Lee and his family, and he’s proud to have done his job, on the front line in dealing with the violence that we have witnessed, particularly in the borough of The Bronx.”

 

The mayor continued, “Thanks to the police work of Officer Lee and his colleagues, we’ve witnessed a reduction in shootings in this borough and we’re going to continue to do so, but it clearly emphasizes to me young people have too many guns in their hands, and our job is to create a pathway to stop that and to ensure that we remove these guns off our streets.” He concluded, “Thank God that Officer Lee will be going home. Too many innocent people don’t go home after encountering gun violence.”

 

A plain clothes police official later added more detail to the incident which he said involved the two officers pulling up to the southwest corner of 183rd Street and Prospect Avenue where the two males involved in the incident were initially observed. “As they pull up, at least one male fires at least six times, striking the windshield and our officer, who was seated in the passenger seat,” he said. “He was struck in the left arm.”

 

The police official continued, “Six 32-caliber shell casings are recovered. Both officers exited the vehicle and both officers returned fire. The responding officers give chase and apprehend one perp[etrator] after a brief foot pursuit.” He said prior to the pursuit and seconds after the initial confrontation between the perpetrator and police, a second round of shots were fired from 760 East 183rd Street towards 183rd Street and Prospect Avenue. Two 380 shell casings were recovered at that scene.”

 

The police official said that based on preliminary video, the second round of shots were not directed at the pursuing officers. “The perp taken into custody from the initial 183rd Street and Prospect shooting is a 16-year-old male,” the official continued, “A 32-caliber gun was recovered from his person. A preliminary trace reveals that it is not part of a multi-sale and is not reported stolen at this time.”

 

The police official said police are currently actively seeking two people in connection with the incident, one male, wearing all black, who was with the 16-year-old at 183rd Street and Prospect Avenue, and a second male who was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans who was firing his 380 caliber from 760 East 183rd Street. He concluded, “We tracked him. He fled in an auto and those two males are now actively being pursued.”

 

Lynch, later addressed those at the press conference, saying, “What we had the opportunity to witness today is when chaos….and these police officers are set on, shot at, and struck…that calm came over these police officers.”

 

He continued, “The police officer that was struck and shot still pursued the perpetrator. His partner pursued the perpetrator, recognizing his partner was shot, throws him in the car, drives, transmits descriptions, notifies the hospital… If he could have, when he got to the hospital, he probably would have done the operation as well. That’s how calm and professional these police officers were during this chaos.”

 

He added, “We should all be thankful for police officers like this that do it on a regular basis, and we should always, in every way possible, recognize them for what they do. We don’t only do it for ourselves. We do it for the people of the city as well.”

 

In response to a question from the media about the origins/rationale for the initial encounter, the police official said the area in question was where the department wanted police officers to be, that it was a known gang location, and had had “problems” in the past. He said that it was still under investigation as to why the two people on the corner were approached in the first place. He reiterated that shots were fired by the perpetrators even before the two officers had had a chance to exit their vehicle and address the two people in question.

The police official clarified that it was two separate officers from the 48th Precinct who apprehended the 16-year-old. He also said the two shooting incidents took place about 100 feet from each other and reiterated that the second shots were fired from the direction of 760 East 183rd Street in the direction of the location of the first shooting but not at the police officers.

 

Later on Jan. 17, police confirmed that the unnamed 16-year-old who was arrested has been charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon. 

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.