This browser does not support the Video element.
NYPD Lieutenant shot in the Bronx
An NYPD Lieutenant is recovering and a suspect is in custody after a struggle between the two led to the officer being shot in the ankle late Friday night.
NEW YORK - An NYPD lieutenant was shot in the ankle while scuffling with an armed man around midnight Friday in the Bronx, Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
The incident happened at Lyman Place and East 169th Street as the lieutenant and three officers wrestled with a man who tried running away when he saw them emerge from an unmarked car, Shea said.
The lieutenant was treated at Jacobi Hospital and released. The officers with him were treated for "minor bumps and bruises," Shea said. The suspect was taken into custody. He was not injured.
Shea did not identify the police personnel or suspect by name.
The lieutenant and the officers, all in uniform, were assigned to a unit combatting gun violence. They saw the man while patrolling the block and stopped to engage with him because they suspected he was armed, Shea said.
The man ran about 50 feet (15 meters) before the lieutenant and officers caught up to him, Shea said. He said police believe the suspect fired one round and that it went through the lieutenant’s leg and lodged in a parked car.
A 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun loaded with 12 bullets was recovered at the scene, Shea said. A malfunction caused by a stuck shell casing prevented it from firing more rounds.
Shea praised officers for their "incredible restraint" as they tussling with the armed man. He said the struggle lasted five to eight minutes and that he would release body camera footage of the incident in the coming days.
The suspect, an alleged gang member, was arrested eight months ago for gun possession in the same area of the Bronx and has a previous conviction for a firearms offense, Shea said.
Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app! | Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters