Suspect arrested in Queens shooting of rookie NYPD officer

NEW YORK - A suspect was arrested in connection to the shooting of a rookie police officer in Queens, authorities announced on Friday.

The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Devin Spraggins, was taken into custody around 9 p.m. Thursday in the Bronx in connection to the shooting of rookie officer 22-year-old Brett Boller, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said during a news conference.

Video recorded of the moment shows members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force taking Spraggins into custody in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.

Spraggins was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and obstructing governmental administration, Essig said.

Police also recovered a 9 mm handgun that was being tested by a forensics team for evidence, Essig added.

22-year-old NYPD officer Brett Boller. (Provided image)

The shooting was reported in broad daylight on Wednesday around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of 161st St. and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica. According to police, an MTA bus driver flagged down two police officers, telling them two men were involved in a fight over a seat.

When officers approached the bus, the suspect exited the front of the bus and pushed past the officers as he fled north on 161st Street. Boller and his partner were able to catch up with the suspect, and "a brief struggle occurred." 

"One of the officers caught up with the perpetrator," Essig said previously. "A brief struggle occurred. The perpetrator fired one shot, striking our officer in the hip. The second police officer returned fire two times."

Devin Spraggins, 22, is pictured on March 7, 2023, after his arrest. (Credit: FOX 5 NY)

The suspect fled on 161st Street and into a parking garage on 88th Avenue, where police managed to recover a black bubble jacket, black mask and orange sweatshirt that matches what the suspect was said to be wearing. 

"(The suspect) should be considered armed and dangerous," Sewell said previously.

Boller, a 103rd Precinct officer who had only joined the department in July 2022, was shot in the right hip, according to authorities. He was taken into surgery and recovering at Jamaica Hospital.

"He was where our communities tell us they want their officers to be, standing by a foot post," Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. "He was flagged down by a community member who needed help. He was taking police action, then he was shot."

A $20,000 reward had been offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest.