Yonkers police officer shot, in critical condition; suspect killed
NEW YORK - A 27-year veteran Yonkers police officer, who was just a week away from retirement, is in critical but stable condition after being shot during an investigation on Wednesday afternoon.
The Yonkers Police Department said that the incident happened around 2:10 p.m. near Elm Street and Linden Street.
According to authorities, officers with the Safe Streets Task Force were conducting a gun investigation with members of the FBI when they attempted to apprehend three suspects.
Police say the suspects went into a bodega at 115 Elm Street. As officers tried to apprehend them, one of the suspects attempted to push past an officer and fired a single shot from a concealed handgun at the officer, striking him in the stomach.
An FBI agent returned fire and killed the 28-year-old suspect.
The officer is currently in critical but stable condition and is expected to survive.
"He has damage to his colon, his intestines, and his kidneys and he lost a tremendous amount of blood but thankfully we think he’s going to be OK," Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said.
The gunman's mother identified him as Brian Jackson and claimed her son was a good man who would never shoot anyone, let alone a police officer.
"I want them to know he was a good person, he would help anybody and would give the shirt off his back to help someone," Vanessa Jackson said.
Police recovered two illegal guns in the aftermath of the shooting.
Two other suspects are currently in custody.
"Earlier today, members of our Westchester County Safe Streets task force were involved in a shooting incident in Yonkers, NY. As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further information to provide at this time," the FBI said in a tweet.
The FBI's Safe Streets and Gang Unit pursues violent gangs and expand cooperation between law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said the area where the shooting happened "is a hot spot and it's been a hot spot for a long time" for criminal activity, including a shooting last year that injured a 6-year-old boy about two blocks from Wednesday's scene.
Mueller said this week's shooting was captured by security cameras, but none of the task force members had body-worn cameras because the FBI prohibits them for task force operations.
With the Associated Press.