An NYPD officer was shot in the face early Monday morning after a man opened fire with a shotgun in Brownsville.
The incident began at about 6 a.m. when officers responded to a report of a person shot on Thomas S. Boyland Street between Hegeman Avenue and Linden Boulevard. At the scene, they found a 41-year-old man, Leeroy Wallace, who had been shot in the chest. He was declared dead.
Around 7:45 a.m., a second man, who is believed to be connected to the earlier shooting, used a shotgun from a first-floor apartment to shoot a 25-year-old officer, Officer Sharjeel Waris, in the left side of his face. Police said the wound is “consistent with birdshot pellets.”
The officer was taken to Brookdale University Hospital, where he was in stable condition before being released shortly after.
“We met with him a few moments ago, and I am pleased to report that he is in good spirits,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “But make no mistake, this could have ended very differently.”
In response, it’s believed that Waris returned fire, and the suspect barricaded himself inside the apartment. “We believe the suspect was shot by the injured officer, who returned fire once he was shot in the face,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
The NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit later entered the apartment after breaking a window. Police flew a drone into the room, and its camera showed a man lying motionless on the kitchen floor with a shotgun nearby. He was later pronounced dead on the scene.
During the chaos, two other officers were injured in a car accident while rushing to the scene. They, too, were taken to Brookdale Hospital with minor injuries.
Mayor Eric Adams said he had been briefed on the situation and prayed for the wounded officer’s recovery. “I have been briefed on the NYPD officer who was shot in Brooklyn this morning,” Adams said. “Praying for the officer’s recovery and we will continue to monitor the situation.”
Many other officials have made statements regarding well wishes for the officer who was wounded. The Police Commissioner made a statement highlighting the dangerous circumstances police take on every day, and how this circumstance further showed this.
“Today is another reminder of what’s at stake when your NYPD officers come to work,” Tisch said. “They never know what will be on the other side of that door, but whatever it is, they face it with an uncommon valor that defines this department.”
Police investigators have not yet released further details about the suspect, and the case remains under investigation.
