Hero cop who shot suspect: 'just doing' my job

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The hero cop who stopped the terror suspect from causing more carnage in the Manhattan attack made a public statement Wednesday.

"I appreciate the public recognition of the actions of myself and my fellow officers yesterday, although I feel we were just doing our job like thousands of officers do every day," Police Officer Ryan Nash said outside a police station near his home in Medford, Long Island. "Due to the nature of the pending criminal case I cannot make any further public statements about the incident at this time."

Nash is assigned to Lower Manhattan's 1st Precinct and has been on the force for five years. He was patrolling his regular beat near where the attack took place. He shot the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, soon after the attack took place.

Nash confronted Saipov and shot him in the abdomen after police said the suspect refused Nash's demands to drop weapons that were later determined to be a paintball gun and a pellet gun.

Commissioner James O'Neill said Nash is too modest to admit he is a hero because he was doing what he was trained to do. O'Neill said he doesn't think there is a "more humble human being" than Nash.

Saipov survived the shooting, which gives investigators a chance to interrogate him as part of the investigation.

The mayor and police commissioner praised Nash and his fellow officers.

"I want to commend the response by our NYPD officer who was on post near the location who stopped the carnage moments after it began," O'Neill said. "Also, the work of the first responders including the fire department and EMS personnel truly helped save additional lives."

Nash has previously received two awards from the NYPD, one for excellent police duty and the other for meritorious police duty.

Officials said Saipov was living recently in New Jersey, where he allegedly rented a Home Depot pickup truck an hour before driving it onto the bike path in Manhattan after driving over the George Washington Bridge.

Uber confirmed that Saipov had driven 1,400 times for them but said he had passed the company's background check.